Brief report: Parenting stress among Chinese and Dutch caregivers of children with autism

Background: Parenting stress is higher in caregivers of autistic compared to typically developing children. Culture and context may impact parenting stress. Some studies suggest that Asian caregivers with autistic children experience more stress compared to European/American caregivers although similar levels have also been reported. Child and caregiver factors (age, gender, income and educational level) may affect parenting stress differently in Asian and European countries. We compared parenting stress levels between caregivers of autistic children from China and the Netherlands, and examined the impact of caregiver factors (age, income, educational level) and child factors (gender) on parenting stress in both countries, and exploring the association with caregivers' worries about COVID-19. Method: We used the 11-item Parenting Distress Subscale (PD) of the Nijmegen Parenting Stress Index (NPSI-PD) to compare parenting stress between two groups: 95 Chinese caregivers (76 boys; 19 girls) and 118 Dutch caregivers of autistic children (93 boys; 25 girls) aged 2-16 years. Controlling for child's gender, caregivers' age, income, educational level and COVID-19-related concerns. Results: Chinese caregivers of autistic children reported higher parenting stress levels than Dutch caregivers, despite fewer COVID-19 worries. Younger caregivers reported more parenting stress in both countries. Conclusion: Culture and context may play a role in the parenting stress of caregivers with an autistic child. Factors influencing parenting stress in different socio-cultural settings are an important issue that requires further study.