Parental Stress in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: caring for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) entails consid-erable emotional, social, and economic demands for families, who frequently experi-ence high levels of stress. Such parental stress can affect caregivers’ mental health and family dynamics, making its early detection and management essential. Objective: to analyse the level of parental stress among parents of children with ASD affiliated with the Ánsares Association (Huelva, Spain), taking into account relevant sociodemo-graphic variables. Methods: a quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 57 relatives of children with ASD (75.4% women, 22.8% men). The Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (PSI-SF) and a sociodemographic questionnaire collecting information on age, marital status, educational level, occupation, number of children, religious beliefs, and external caregiving support were used. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were performed using correlation and mean comparison tests. Re-sults: a total of 13.7% of participants showed clinically significant stress levels and 9.8% presented high levels. No statistically significant associations were found with sociodemographic variables, although trends toward greater stress were observed among women and parents without external support. Conclusion: these findings are consistent with previous literature and highlight the importance of providing psy-choeducational and emotional support programmes for families. They also emphasise the role of nursing in the early detection of distress and the comprehensive support of caregivers, thereby contributing to improved family quality of life.