Advisor(s)
Sarah O'Kelley
Cassandra Newsom
Committee Member(s)
Anne Brisendine
Justin Schwartz
Olivio Clay
School
College of Arts and Sciences
Document Type
Dissertation
Department (new version)
Psychology
Date of Award
6-3-2025
Abstract
Healthcare disparities are widespread in rural communities, particularly for caregivers who must navigate the healthcare system for their autistic children. These caregivers are acutely at risk for experiencing significant barriers to care and compromised well-being due to a lack of adequate local services. While previous research has documented disparities in healthcare access and caregiver well-being in rural areas for parents of autistic children, most studies have analyzed differences in these constructs in comparison to urban communities. The current study aimed to identify key themes in healthcare interactions within rural communities and the consequences of those interactions to guide effective healthcare delivery and targeted intervention among caregivers of autistic children. The hypothesis was that caregivers from increasingly rural communities would report distinct challenges related to their service providers (intervention and primary care) and endorse lower well-being, particularly in areas of social support, stress, and quality of life. To categorize rural healthcare disparities, rurality was categorized using the Rural-Urban Commuting Areas (RUCAs), allowing the study to explore how increasing rurality impacts healthcare delivery and subsequent caregiver well-being. Eleven caregivers from Large Rural, Small Rural, and Isolated Rural communities completed a well-being questionnaire and participated in interviews about their well-being and child’s healthcare to understand the unique needs and experiences within different rural communities. While quantitative analysis did not reveal significant differences between groups, qualitative coding showed that caregivers from smaller rural communities uniquely expressed concerns that their child’s therapy providers were not adequately meeting their child’s needs, caregiver-provider interactions could be contentious, and there was a lack of knowledgeable providers. Additionally, these caregivers from smaller rural communities endorsed that they felt stigmatized in their communities, isolated themselves and their families, and had uncontrolled levels of stress. These findings suggest that provider and family-intervention services may be particularly beneficial in smaller rural communities, where caregivers face distinct challenges that warrant targeted support.
ProQuest ID
Recommended Citation
Arnold, Zachary Enos, "A Mixed-Methods Study Of The Experiences Of Rural Families That Have A School-Aged Child Diagnosed With Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd)" (2025). All ETDs from UAB. 7315.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/7315
