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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Autism
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2025.1492304
The association between intolerance of uncertainty and psychological burden among caregivers of children with autism and the impact on their quality of life
Provisionally accepted- 1 King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- 2 Department of Psychology, College of Education, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorder encounter pressure and challenges related to their work, finances, estrangement, unpredictable lives, social stigma, and mental and physical tiredness, significantly lowering their family's quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to examine the association between intolerance of uncertainty and the psychological burden perceived by caregivers of children with autism and how these factors affected their QoL. Data for this cross-sectional study were collected electronically from 59 caregivers of children with autism at six branches of the Obour Company for Human Development in Riyadh using a sociodemographic data sheet, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, the Zarit Burden Interview (short form), and the World Health Organization QoL Scale (brief form). Results:Approximately two-thirds of participating caregivers showed high to moderate intolerance to uncertainty and a moderate burden, while 13.6% had a high burden. Almost 60% reported a generally low QoL, with lower mean scores in the social and psychological domains.Significant positive correlations existed between intolerance of uncertainty and total burden scores. Except for the environmental domain, intolerance of uncertainty, and overall burden, there was a significant negative association between total QoL scores and all of its domains.Finally, the intolerance of uncertainty score was a significant inverse predictor of carers' QoL.The remaining parameters were nonsignificant. This study suggests that it is vital to provide caregivers of children with autism with well-designed programs, such as family-and community-based services and child behavioral training, as part of clinical practice.
Keywords: Intolerance of Uncertainty, Burden, Quality of Life, Caregivers, autism
Received: 09 Sep 2024; Accepted: 31 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Almansoor. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Khulood Almansoor, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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