To Share or Not To Share: Navigating Disclosure and Stigma Among Family Caregivers of Autistic Young Adults_Group Intervention

Summary

This study is a caregiver support program for family caregivers of autistic young adults (ages 18 to 26) as their family members navigate young adulthood. The program includes six 60-minute virtual sessions focused on making sense of caregiving roles during young adulthood, reflecting on everyday family experiences, supporting decision-making within families, deciding when and how to share experiences with others, and thinking about the future.

Detailed Description

This program has three components: 1. program participation, which includes six virtual sessions and one optional celebration session 2. eight surveys, including one pre-program survey, one post-program survey, and six post-session surveys to collect participants feedback on each session; and 3. one optional one-on-one interview. For the six sessions, this program utilizes a peer-facilitated model, recognizing the unique expertise that comes from lived experience. Some aspects of navigating transition can only be fully understood and effectively communicated by fellow family caregivers, rather than by professionals. Attendees are encouraged to bring their broader life experiences, including those unrelated to caregiving, when they see these experiences as central to who they are. The program welcomes participants as whole people, honoring both their caregiving role and the parts of their lives that extend beyond it. Session content and topics are built from a series of interviews with family caregivers. The program not only covers what was openly discussed in those interviews but also explores what was less visible, what may have been unspoken, hidden, or missing from the conversations.

Eligibility Criteria

Interventions