Parental Stress and Child Well-Being in Autism, Epilepsy, and Their Comorbidity: A Comparative Study.

PURPOSE: This study examined differences in parental stress and child quality of life (QoL) among families of children with autism, epilepsy, and their comorbidity. The study also explored the associations between dimensions of parental stress and child QoL within the comorbid group.

METHODS

A total of 150 caregiver–child dyads (ages 7–10) were equally distributed across three diagnostic groups: autism, epilepsy, and comorbid autism + epilepsy. Parental stress and child QoL were assessed using validated caregiver-report instruments. Group comparisons were conducted using ANOVAs and post hoc tests, and association analyses were performed within the comorbid group.

RESULTS

Families of children with comorbid autism + epilepsy showed the highest levels of parental stress and the lowest QoL scores across all domains, followed by the autism and epilepsy groups. Within the comorbid group, parental stress dimensions were significantly associated with several aspects of child QoL. Effect sizes across analyses were large, indicating substantial group differences.

CONCLUSION

Comorbidity of autism and epilepsy was associated with greater parental stress and reduced child QoL compared to single diagnoses. These findings highlight the relevance of considering parental stress in clinical evaluations. Interpretations should be made cautiously given the lack of clinical severity indicators, and future research would benefit from longitudinal approaches and detailed clinical characterization.