Anthony Chidera Stanley, Agbo Chinonyelum Emmanuel, Ogieuhi Ikponmwosa Jude, Ajekiigbe Victor Oluwatomiwa, Agu Mercy Chisom, Ayomide Jagunmolu Habiblah, Oyetola Emmanuel Oyedeji, Adejumo Temilade Patience, Umenzeakor Kenechukwu Hilary, Akinmeji Olufemi, Ajimotokan Oluwafemi Isaiah, Matthew Oluwaseun Abiola, Ikekwere Joseph C
University of Calabar, Calabar, Nigeria.
University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria.
Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Aug 18. doi: 10.1007/s00787-025-02843-1.
Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition recognized as a significant global public health concern. However, there is limited understanding of the socioeconomic impact on caregivers in Africa. This scoping review synthesizes evidence from studies across African nations to examine the socioeconomic burdens faced by caregivers of children with autism. An extensive literature search was conducted across databases including PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and African Journals Online (AJOL) using appropriate keywords and Boolean operators. The articles were screened for eligibility, ensuring that only studies conducted in Africa and reporting the socioeconomic impact on caregivers of children with autism were included. Data was extracted and synthesized thematically. Quality assessment was done using the CASP tool. Out of the 450 studies generated across the databases, 15 studies published between 2017 and 2025 met the eligibility criteria. The studies involved were all conducted in African countries. Caregivers experienced direct financial burdens such as expenses for healthcare, special dietary requirements, education, and transport. Indirect financial burden included poor productivity and job losses. Additionally, the caregivers experienced psychosocial effects such as depression, grief, stigma, and social exclusion, especially the mothers. Across the studies, most caregivers had challenges in accessing socialized therapy and healthcare services due to poor infrastructure. The demands of autism cause a significant financial burden and social exclusion for caregivers in Africa. Poor access to healthcare services and poor infrastructure further compound this burden, increasing the difficulties experienced by caregivers in Africa. Addressing the autism care crisis in Africa will require joint efforts from governments, NGOs, and health systems, training frontline workers to ensure fair and effective support for both caregivers and autistic individuals.
自闭症是一种神经发育疾病，被公认为是一项重大的全球公共卫生问题。然而，人们对其对非洲照料者的社会经济影响了解有限。本范围综述综合了来自非洲各国研究的证据，以考察自闭症儿童照料者所面临的社会经济负担。使用适当的关键词和布尔运算符，在包括PubMed、Scopus、科学网和非洲在线期刊（AJOL）在内的数据库中进行了广泛的文献检索。对文章进行了资格筛选，确保只纳入在非洲进行的、报告了对自闭症儿童照料者社会经济影响的研究。数据被提取并进行了主题综合。使用CASP工具进行了质量评估。在数据库中生成的450项研究中，2017年至2025年发表的15项研究符合资格标准。所涉及的研究均在非洲国家进行。照料者经历了直接的经济负担，如医疗保健、特殊饮食要求、教育和交通费用。间接经济负担包括生产力低下和失业。此外，照料者还经历了心理社会影响，如抑郁、悲伤、耻辱和社会排斥，尤其是母亲。在各项研究中，由于基础设施差，大多数照料者在获得社会化治疗和医疗服务方面面临挑战。自闭症的需求给非洲的照料者带来了巨大的经济负担和社会排斥。医疗服务获取困难和基础设施差进一步加重了这一负担，增加了非洲照料者所经历的困难。应对非洲的自闭症护理危机需要政府、非政府组织和卫生系统共同努力，培训一线工作人员，以确保对照料者和自闭症患者都能提供公平有效的支持。
