Social Support and Resilience as Buffers Against Work–Family Conflict, Family–Work Conflict, and Burnout Among Working Parents Raising Autistic Children

This study examined whether social support and resilience buffer work–family conflict (WFC), family–work conflict (FWC), and burnout among working parents raising children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Data were collected from 94 working parents recruited through a parent partnership service in London using purposive and snowball sampling. Five hypotheses were tested using the PROCESS macro, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. Results showed non-significant correlations between resilience and burnout ( r  = −.014, p  = .896), social support and burnout ( r  = .010, p  = .923), and WFC/FWC and burnout ( r  = .064, p  = .541), contrary to most hypotheses. Moderation analyses found that neither social support ( t  = −.608, p  = .545) nor resilience ( t  = −.712, p  = .479) significantly buffered the WFC-burnout relationship. The sample reported notably elevated WFC scores. Findings are discussed within Conservation of Resources theory and Role Theory, suggesting that the protective effects of these resources may be attenuated by the severity and chronicity of ASD caregiving demands. Implications for workplace policy, support provision, and counseling practice are considered.