Psychological Impact of Raising a Child With Autism: A Real Life Case Study of Expatriate Family

Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entails significant psychological demands for parents, which are further intensified in expatriate contexts due to transnational relocation, cultural dissonance and systemic discontinuities. This phenomenological case study explores the lived exper...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inChild & family social work
Main Authors Maqbool, Samra, Zafeer, Hafiz Muhammad Ihsan, Maqbool, Sufyan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published 09.07.2025
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

Abstract Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entails significant psychological demands for parents, which are further intensified in expatriate contexts due to transnational relocation, cultural dissonance and systemic discontinuities. This phenomenological case study explores the lived experiences of M and J, a Spanish couple who migrated to the United Kingdom while raising their son, H, diagnosed with ASD at the age of three. Through in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews and thematic analysis, the study identifies core challenges, including elevated emotional stress, social isolation, language barriers and difficulties navigating unfamiliar healthcare and educational systems. The findings also reveal the emotional labour involved in sustaining parental identity, negotiating care pathways and maintaining relational dynamics as a couple. Despite these adversities, the family's experience illustrates how resilience can be fostered through supportive networks, adaptive coping strategies and gradual integration into local systems of care. The study's contribution lies in highlighting how emotional dynamics alongside structural constraints shape meaning‐making processes in caregiving. These insights have transferable relevance for other expatriate and migrant families, including those in international development, humanitarian or academic contexts. The findings underscore the urgent need for culturally responsive support services and adaptable policy frameworks that reflect the complex realities of globally mobile families raising children with ASD.
AbstractList Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entails significant psychological demands for parents, which are further intensified in expatriate contexts due to transnational relocation, cultural dissonance and systemic discontinuities. This phenomenological case study explores the lived experiences of M and J, a Spanish couple who migrated to the United Kingdom while raising their son, H, diagnosed with ASD at the age of three. Through in‐depth, semi‐structured interviews and thematic analysis, the study identifies core challenges, including elevated emotional stress, social isolation, language barriers and difficulties navigating unfamiliar healthcare and educational systems. The findings also reveal the emotional labour involved in sustaining parental identity, negotiating care pathways and maintaining relational dynamics as a couple. Despite these adversities, the family's experience illustrates how resilience can be fostered through supportive networks, adaptive coping strategies and gradual integration into local systems of care. The study's contribution lies in highlighting how emotional dynamics alongside structural constraints shape meaning‐making processes in caregiving. These insights have transferable relevance for other expatriate and migrant families, including those in international development, humanitarian or academic contexts. The findings underscore the urgent need for culturally responsive support services and adaptable policy frameworks that reflect the complex realities of globally mobile families raising children with ASD.
Author Zafeer, Hafiz Muhammad Ihsan
Maqbool, Samra
Maqbool, Sufyan
Author_xml – sequence: 1
  givenname: Samra
  orcidid: 0000-0001-5958-3800
  surname: Maqbool
  fullname: Maqbool, Samra
  organization: Smart Learning Institute, Faculty of Education Beijing Normal University Beijing China
– sequence: 2
  givenname: Hafiz Muhammad Ihsan
  orcidid: 0000-0002-8757-9478
  surname: Zafeer
  fullname: Zafeer, Hafiz Muhammad Ihsan
  organization: College of Education Zhejiang Normal University Jinhua Zhejiang China
– sequence: 3
  givenname: Sufyan
  orcidid: 0009-0007-6290-1305
  surname: Maqbool
  fullname: Maqbool, Sufyan
  organization: College of Education Zhejiang Normal University Jinhua Zhejiang China
BookMark eNotkDFPwzAUhC1UJNrCwD_wypDy7NSOzVZFLVSqBCogxvDi2K1R0lSxK5F_TwPccjfc3fBNyOjQHiwhtwxm7Kx748IsA2DsgoxZKkXCOcjRkIVMMgFwRSYhfAGA4FqOyedL6M2-rdudN1jTdXNEE2nr6BZ98IcdRZrvfV3RDx_3dHGKPjQPdEG39tzeeGdpjsHS13iq-mG2_D5i7DxGS1fY-Lq_JpcO62Bv_n1K3lfLt_wp2Tw_rvPFJjFMs5iwzKpM22xuMqNAM80tB2YRpQDJK6MkAgdElqVOoywrp7SaK56WpSiNUOmU3P39mq4NobOuOHa-wa4vGBQDmuKMpvhFk_4AF8BXaA
Cites_doi 10.1007/s10803‐020‐04818‐4
10.3390/children10020175
10.1002/jac5.1441
10.1177/16094069231205789
10.1111/j.1365‐2125.2004.02103.x
10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.01.013
10.3390/brainsci14111116
10.1007/s10803‐021‐05399‐6
10.1016/j.hrmr.2021.100877
10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104138
10.1007/s10803‐012‐1604‐y
10.1080/08878730.2019.1590750
10.1016/j.wombi.2017.01.002
10.1080/17439760.2016.1262613
10.1111/cch.12383
10.1080/20473869.2024.2341196
10.1007/s10803‐021‐05388‐9
10.1177/1744629517719347
10.1007/s40489‐020‐00218‐7
10.3390/children11010007
10.1177/17446295221106001
10.5014/ajot.2023.050156
10.1016/j.pedn.2022.02.006
10.1080/13575279.2015.1064357
10.1177/1362361320922658
10.1007/s00198‐015‐3293‐9
10.2196/55639
10.1007/978-3-031-18377-5_9
10.1186/s12913‐022‐07829‐2
10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00884
10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.05.010
10.3390/ijerph18189453
10.1186/1471‐2431‐4‐1
10.1080/01612840.2018.1466943
10.1080/1034912X.2023.2291570
10.1186/s41256‐020‐00154‐3
10.3390/genes14030677
10.1177/13623613221146444
10.1111/jan.15708
10.1177/13623613241272005
10.1007/s10826‐022‐02332‐y
10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107090
10.1108/JGM‐06‐2020‐0041
10.1111/jonm.13336
10.3390/brainsci13121645
10.1080/19315864.2020.1822962
10.1016/j.pedn.2022.03.015
ContentType Journal Article
DBID AAYXX
CITATION
DOI 10.1111/cfs.70011
DatabaseName CrossRef
DatabaseTitle CrossRef
DatabaseTitleList CrossRef
DeliveryMethod fulltext_linktorsrc
Discipline Social Welfare & Social Work
EISSN 1365-2206
ExternalDocumentID 10_1111_cfs_70011
GroupedDBID ..I
.3N
.GA
04C
05W
0R~
10A
1OB
1OC
29B
33P
36B
4.4
50Y
50Z
51W
51X
52M
52N
52O
52P
52R
52S
52T
52U
52V
52W
52X
53G
5GY
5HH
5LA
5VS
66C
6PF
702
7PT
8-0
8-1
8-3
8-4
8-5
8UM
930
A01
A04
AABNI
AAESR
AAHQN
AAIPD
AAMMB
AAMNL
AAONW
AAOUF
AAWTL
AAXRX
AAYCA
AAYXX
AAZKR
ABCQN
ABCUV
ABDBF
ABIVO
ABJNI
ABPVW
ABQWH
ABSOO
ABXGK
ACAHQ
ACBKW
ACCZN
ACFBH
ACGFS
ACGOF
ACHQT
ACMXC
ACPOU
ACUHS
ACXQS
ADBBV
ADBTR
ADEMA
ADEOM
ADIZJ
ADKYN
ADMGS
ADOJX
ADXAS
ADZMN
AEFGJ
AEIGN
AEIMD
AEUYR
AEYWJ
AFBPY
AFEBI
AFFPM
AFGKR
AFKFF
AFWVQ
AFZJQ
AGHNM
AGXDD
AHBTC
AIACR
AIDQK
AIDYY
AIURR
ALAGY
ALMA_UNASSIGNED_HOLDINGS
ALUQN
ALVPJ
AMBMR
AMYDB
ASTYK
AZBYB
AZVAB
BAFTC
BDRZF
BFHJK
BMSDO
BMXJE
BNVMJ
BQESF
BROTX
BRXPI
BY8
C45
CITATION
CS3
D-6
D-7
D-C
D-D
DCZOG
DPXWK
DR2
DRFUL
DRMAN
DRSSH
DU5
EAP
EBS
ESI
ESX
EX3
F00
F01
FUBAC
G-S
G.N
G50
GODZA
HGLYW
HZI
HZ~
IHE
IX1
J0M
K48
KBYEO
LATKE
LC2
LC3
LEEKS
LH-
LH4
LITHE
LOXES
LP6
LP7
LUTES
LYRES
MEWTI
MK4
MRFUL
MRMAN
MRSSH
MSFUL
MSMAN
MSSSH
MXFUL
MXMAN
MXSSH
N04
N06
N9A
NF~
O66
O9-
OIG
OVD
P2P
P2W
P2Y
P2Z
P4B
P4C
PQQKQ
Q.N
Q11
QB0
R.K
ROL
RX1
SUPJJ
TEORI
UB1
W8V
W99
WBKPD
WIH
WII
WIJ
WMRSR
WOHZO
WOW
WQJ
WSUWO
WXI
WXSBR
XG1
YFH
ZZTAW
~IA
~WP
ID FETCH-LOGICAL-c191t-17e879e74c7c809192e201eaa65062dc86a020aa173f9a6bdf8984823bb5bc583
ISSN 1356-7500
IngestDate Wed Jul 16 16:46:40 EDT 2025
IsPeerReviewed true
IsScholarly true
Language English
LinkModel OpenURL
MergedId FETCHMERGED-LOGICAL-c191t-17e879e74c7c809192e201eaa65062dc86a020aa173f9a6bdf8984823bb5bc583
ORCID 0000-0001-5958-3800
0009-0007-6290-1305
0000-0002-8757-9478
ParticipantIDs crossref_primary_10_1111_cfs_70011
PublicationCentury 2000
PublicationDate 2025-07-09
PublicationDateYYYYMMDD 2025-07-09
PublicationDate_xml – month: 07
  year: 2025
  text: 2025-07-09
  day: 09
PublicationDecade 2020
PublicationTitle Child & family social work
PublicationYear 2025
References e_1_2_13_25_1
e_1_2_13_48_1
e_1_2_13_24_1
e_1_2_13_49_1
e_1_2_13_27_1
e_1_2_13_46_1
e_1_2_13_26_1
e_1_2_13_47_1
e_1_2_13_21_1
e_1_2_13_44_1
e_1_2_13_20_1
Marquez‐Castro H. (e_1_2_13_35_1) 2023
e_1_2_13_45_1
e_1_2_13_42_1
e_1_2_13_22_1
e_1_2_13_43_1
e_1_2_13_9_1
e_1_2_13_40_1
e_1_2_13_8_1
e_1_2_13_41_1
e_1_2_13_7_1
e_1_2_13_17_1
e_1_2_13_18_1
e_1_2_13_39_1
e_1_2_13_19_1
e_1_2_13_13_1
e_1_2_13_36_1
e_1_2_13_14_1
e_1_2_13_15_1
e_1_2_13_38_1
e_1_2_13_16_1
e_1_2_13_37_1
e_1_2_13_32_1
e_1_2_13_10_1
e_1_2_13_31_1
e_1_2_13_11_1
e_1_2_13_34_1
e_1_2_13_12_1
e_1_2_13_33_1
e_1_2_13_30_1
Hill D. A. (e_1_2_13_23_1) 2024; 71
Braun V. (e_1_2_13_6_1) 2024
e_1_2_13_5_1
e_1_2_13_4_1
e_1_2_13_3_1
e_1_2_13_2_1
e_1_2_13_29_1
e_1_2_13_28_1
References_xml – ident: e_1_2_13_30_1
  doi: 10.1007/s10803‐020‐04818‐4
– ident: e_1_2_13_37_1
  doi: 10.3390/children10020175
– ident: e_1_2_13_2_1
  doi: 10.1002/jac5.1441
– ident: e_1_2_13_40_1
  doi: 10.1177/16094069231205789
– ident: e_1_2_13_10_1
  doi: 10.1111/j.1365‐2125.2004.02103.x
– ident: e_1_2_13_9_1
  doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2017.01.013
– ident: e_1_2_13_44_1
  doi: 10.3390/brainsci14111116
– ident: e_1_2_13_48_1
  doi: 10.1007/s10803‐021‐05399‐6
– ident: e_1_2_13_15_1
  doi: 10.1016/j.hrmr.2021.100877
– ident: e_1_2_13_26_1
  doi: 10.1016/j.ridd.2021.104138
– ident: e_1_2_13_22_1
  doi: 10.1007/s10803‐012‐1604‐y
– start-page: 7187
  volume-title: Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well‐Being Research
  year: 2024
  ident: e_1_2_13_6_1
– ident: e_1_2_13_39_1
  doi: 10.1080/08878730.2019.1590750
– ident: e_1_2_13_11_1
  doi: 10.1016/j.wombi.2017.01.002
– ident: e_1_2_13_12_1
  doi: 10.1080/17439760.2016.1262613
– ident: e_1_2_13_5_1
  doi: 10.1111/cch.12383
– ident: e_1_2_13_43_1
  doi: 10.1080/20473869.2024.2341196
– ident: e_1_2_13_20_1
  doi: 10.1007/s10803‐021‐05388‐9
– ident: e_1_2_13_29_1
  doi: 10.1177/1744629517719347
– ident: e_1_2_13_31_1
  doi: 10.1007/s40489‐020‐00218‐7
– ident: e_1_2_13_41_1
  doi: 10.3390/children11010007
– ident: e_1_2_13_21_1
  doi: 10.1177/17446295221106001
– ident: e_1_2_13_47_1
  doi: 10.5014/ajot.2023.050156
– ident: e_1_2_13_33_1
  doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2022.02.006
– ident: e_1_2_13_14_1
  doi: 10.1080/13575279.2015.1064357
– ident: e_1_2_13_8_1
  doi: 10.1177/1362361320922658
– ident: e_1_2_13_27_1
  doi: 10.1007/s00198‐015‐3293‐9
– ident: e_1_2_13_3_1
  doi: 10.2196/55639
– start-page: 129
  volume-title: Handbook of Mind/Body Integration in Child and Adolescent Development
  year: 2023
  ident: e_1_2_13_35_1
  doi: 10.1007/978-3-031-18377-5_9
– ident: e_1_2_13_13_1
  doi: 10.1186/s12913‐022‐07829‐2
– ident: e_1_2_13_19_1
  doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00884
– ident: e_1_2_13_38_1
  doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2021.05.010
– ident: e_1_2_13_17_1
  doi: 10.3390/ijerph18189453
– ident: e_1_2_13_42_1
  doi: 10.1186/1471‐2431‐4‐1
– ident: e_1_2_13_28_1
  doi: 10.1080/01612840.2018.1466943
– volume: 71
  start-page: 1116
  issue: 7
  year: 2024
  ident: e_1_2_13_23_1
  article-title: The Evolution of Services for Children With Autism and Developmental Disabilities in Nigeria
  publication-title: International Journal of Disability, Development and Education
  doi: 10.1080/1034912X.2023.2291570
– ident: e_1_2_13_49_1
  doi: 10.1186/s41256‐020‐00154‐3
– ident: e_1_2_13_18_1
  doi: 10.3390/genes14030677
– ident: e_1_2_13_32_1
  doi: 10.1177/13623613221146444
– ident: e_1_2_13_34_1
  doi: 10.1111/jan.15708
– ident: e_1_2_13_46_1
  doi: 10.1177/13623613241272005
– ident: e_1_2_13_7_1
  doi: 10.1007/s10826‐022‐02332‐y
– ident: e_1_2_13_45_1
  doi: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.107090
– ident: e_1_2_13_4_1
  doi: 10.1108/JGM‐06‐2020‐0041
– ident: e_1_2_13_25_1
  doi: 10.1111/jonm.13336
– ident: e_1_2_13_36_1
  doi: 10.3390/brainsci13121645
– ident: e_1_2_13_16_1
  doi: 10.1080/19315864.2020.1822962
– ident: e_1_2_13_24_1
  doi: 10.1016/j.pedn.2022.03.015
SSID ssj0005296
Score 2.3792138
SecondaryResourceType online_first
Snippet Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entails significant psychological demands for parents, which are further intensified in expatriate contexts...
SourceID crossref
SourceType Index Database
Title Psychological Impact of Raising a Child With Autism: A Real Life Case Study of Expatriate Family
hasFullText 1
inHoldings 1
isFullTextHit
isPrint
link http://utb.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwnV1LbxMxELagXLggykM8ChohygVt1bX34eUWhaIUqRxKKyouYezYaqQmhZBI0F_fGdvZ3fKQCpdV4sTeVb4v43l6hHg58a5SvrAk_WxFBkpRZo3RRWYaucsdttEHh9vBh2p0XLw_KU-6csVQXbI0O_bij3Ul_4MqjRGuXCX7D8i2i9IAvSZ86UoI0_VaGF-VXvttweMhToMLAOPJxfTX59gMPUjMsuAUOPZfT717PaRdLCQThkj73g_2jRNaLnXE6OuucS2mSvKKJH87p3Z1ju1vJjXt-oizRSvzP6N3kRwj9NOL7aHcHuwerE5xNiOOhXf7p738oP46K_8zfZC8E7IMmaxNT6CqsspIK4mxF5fGOLNOhpMG_ibCrf--wyHxvNun1rH5X7avNqlwbc7Q1HGYelPckmQ8cF-Lt4eyl_gTura1T5bOm-L8rvauPS2lp24c3RV3kp0Agwj6prjh5vfEViymhk_uzOPCwStYDxAE98WXK3yAyAc495D4AAgBQ2A-QOTDGxgAswGYDcBsgMAGntaxASIbHojjd3tHw1GWOmhkluzwZZbXTteNqwtbW02aYSMdKXwOkfTySk6srpDMBcS8Vr7Byky8bnShpTKmNLbU6qHYmJ_P3SMBSmKlpcl9xT5oVNqUWNdOKZcbWs09Fi_Wv9j4azwoZfwbIk-u86Wn4nbHpC2xsVys3DPS_JbmeQDyEpwZVgQ
linkProvider Wiley-Blackwell
openUrl ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&ctx_enc=info%3Aofi%2Fenc%3AUTF-8&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsummon.serialssolutions.com&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Ajournal&rft.genre=article&rft.atitle=Psychological+Impact+of+Raising+a+Child+With+Autism%3A+A+Real+Life+Case+Study+of+Expatriate+Family&rft.jtitle=Child+%26+family+social+work&rft.au=Maqbool%2C+Samra&rft.au=Zafeer%2C+Hafiz%C2%A0Muhammad%C2%A0Ihsan&rft.au=Maqbool%2C+Sufyan&rft.date=2025-07-09&rft.issn=1356-7500&rft.eissn=1365-2206&rft_id=info:doi/10.1111%2Fcfs.70011&rft.externalDBID=n%2Fa&rft.externalDocID=10_1111_cfs_70011
thumbnail_l http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/lc.gif&issn=1356-7500&client=summon
thumbnail_m http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/mc.gif&issn=1356-7500&client=summon
thumbnail_s http://covers-cdn.summon.serialssolutions.com/index.aspx?isbn=/sc.gif&issn=1356-7500&client=summon