The Development of a Stigma Support Intervention to improve the Mental Health of Family Carers of Autistic Children
The Development of a Stigma Support Intervention to improve the Mental Health of Family Carers of Autistic Children

Suggestions from the Autism Community

Summary/Abstract: Parents and family carers of autistic children report poorer mental health than any other parents.Stigma surrounding autism plays a significant role in the mental health of family carers of autisticchildren, often leaving families feeling isolated. Yet there are currently no interventions availableto support families with stigma. In order to guide the design and development of an interventionto improve the psychological well-being of parents and carers of autistic children by addressingthe stigma they may experience, we surveyed the autism community (n = 112) about their viewsand suggestions to make such intervention more successful. The thematic analysis of the qualitativeresponses revealed that respondents wished for public awareness to be raised and suggestedthat education would be the key to this. Respondents also – recommended that parental self-esteemand self-compassion skills should be increased and that they would benefit from ‘ready-made’phrases or information available to react to instances of stigma from the public, other family members,and professionals. The autism community provided valuable suggestions to be incorporatedin the design of a stigma support intervention for parents of autistic children, in order to improvetheir mental health and caregiving abilities.

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