Building Family Resilience in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Integrative Review of Models, Interventions, and Future Directions

ABSTRACT: Families caring for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often encounter persistent stress, stigma, and limited support systems. Despite these challenges, many demonstrate resilience-the capacity to adapt and sustain well-being under adversity. This integrative review synthesizes conceptual frameworks and interventions designed to strengthen family resilience in ASD caregiving. A systematic search across PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, and Google Scholar (2000-2025) yielded 55 eligible studies. Seven resilience models were identified: protective factors, transactional, ecological systems, CARE, mindfulness-based stress reduction, Triple-A, and strengths-based approaches. Interventions informed by these models produced measurable benefits, including reductions in parental stress and caregiver burden, alongside gains in family cohesion, psychological health, and quality of life. The review underscores the importance of culturally adapted, multidisciplinary, and scalable resilience-building strategies, while calling for standardized evaluation tools and policy integration to ensure sustainable support for families raising children with ASD.