Caring and becoming ill: implications of continuous care for the caregiver's mental health of people with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the implications of continuous caregiving for individuals with ASD (autism spectrum disorder) on the mental health of caregivers. It is a narrative literature review, qualitative in nature and descriptive-analytical in approach, conducted using studies published between 2013 and 2025 in the SciELO, Google Scholar, and PubMed databases. The analysis of the studies showed that continuous caregiving is associated with high levels of stress, emotional overload, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, and depressive symptoms, especially when caregiving is concentrated on a single caregiver and occurs in contexts of fragile support networks and insufficient institutional support. It was observed that the caregiver's psychological distress tends to build up progressively and silently, impacting quality of life, family relationships, social participation, and physical health. Furthermore, factors such as stigma, self-stigmatization, and difficulties in accessing services contribute to the intensification of mental illness. It is concluded that the mental health of the caregiver must be understood as an inseparable dimension of care for the person with ASD, and that strengthening support networks, integrated public policies, and care strategies that recognize the caregiver as a subject of care are fundamental.