The relationship between the perception of social support and stress and burnout levels of mothers who have children with asd

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) stands out as a neurodevelopmental disorder, the symptoms of which occur in the first period of an individual's life, characterized by visible deficiencies in social and communicative areas, and limited and repetitive areas of movement and interest. ASD, which is one of the most clearly observed developmental disorders among children, also prepares the environment for significant changes in the lives of both the child and their families. One of the groups most affected by the said change is the mothers of children with ASD. The aim of this study is to reveal the relationship between the perception of social support and stress and burnout levels of mothers who have children with ASD. In this context, the sample of this research consists of 150 mothers with children diagnosed with ASD, who received counseling services at the in 2022. The data of the study were collected using Personal Information Form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Perceived Stress Scale and Maslach Burnout Scale. SPSS 21 Package Program was used for the analysis of the data. Parametric and non-parametric statistical analyzes were carried out within the scope of the distribution of the data. In the analysis of the data, t-test, Pearson Correlation test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Post-Hoc test statistics were used. The findings of the study revealed that social support perceptions of mothers with children with ASD predicted stress and burnout, in other words, there was a significant relationship between social support perceptions and stress and burnout. In the study, it was also determined that there was a statistically significant relationship between the mothers' age, marital status, education level, the number of children they had and their average monthly income, and the perception of social support, stress and burnout.