Influence of child’s autism on relationships: A phenomenological study among maternal caregivers in Kerala

Background: Although the world has been witnessing a steady increase in the autism population, there is a paucity of research on the maternal experiences of caregiving a child with autism. Aim: The rationale of this study is to explore the maternal experiences of children with autism in Kerala, India. Materials and Methods: Ten mothers of children with autism were interviewed and the transcripts were analyzed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Findings: Two superordinate themes were identified in the analysis: a) deteriorating marriage, and b) deteriorating social relations. Mothers in the study were affected by their child’s autism, as it reflected on their personal, marital and social aspects of life. Mothers had conspicuous marital strain due to the increasing demands of caregiving and child’s autism influenced their family planning decision-making. Mothers were blamed for their child’s autism and discriminative and judgmental behaviours from the public restricted their social participation. The findings provide an understanding of the maternal experiences in raising a child with autism in Kerala. Conclusion: These findings can be useful for researchers, healthcare providers and policy makers to provide support and address the issues faced by the mothers in raising children with autism