Emotional intelligence modulates cortisol awakening response and self-reported health in caregivers of people with autism spectrum disorders

Caring for people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has negative consequences for caregivers' health. Specifically, caregivers of people with ASDs have been observed to have more somatic symptoms, poorer self-perceived general health, poorer social functioning and altered immune and endocrine systems. Various positive variables including emotional intelligence (EI) have been found to protect health in several populations, but no studies have previously analyzed the effect of EI in caregivers of people with ASDs. The present study aimed to analyze the association of the three components of EI (attention, clarity and repair) with self-reported health and cortisol awakening response (CAR) in caregivers of offspring with ASD. Attention was negatively associated and clarity positively associated with self-reported health. Clarity and repair were associated with a lower magnitude of CAR, estimated by the area under the curve with respect to ground (AUCg). Moreover, CAR AUCg was a mediator in the association of clarity and repair with self-perceived general health. These results confirm that EI components have different effects on health in caregivers of people with ASDs. EI should be included as a target of interventions to improve health in this population.