Background:
Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) report greater parenting stress, marital distress, and mental health symptomatology than parents of typically developing children, as well as parents of children with other types of disabilities. Social support, parenting self-efficacy, and coping styles moderate the association between autism and parenting stress. Parent support groups have been shown to raise awareness, decrease stress, and increase empowerment among participants. Little research exists on the mental health outcomes of support groups for parents of children with ASD.
Objectives:
The present study focused on determining the impact of a Parent Education and Communal Experience group on the mental health and life satisfaction of parents of children with ASD.
Methods:
Participants: 34 Parents, four consecutive groups
19 biological mothers, 13 biological fathers, one adoptive mother, and one step-father
19 Caucasian, 3 Asian/Pacific Islander, 6 Hispanic/Latinx, 5 Middle Eastern
Children ages 2-17 with an ASD diagnosis
Design:
Quasi-experimental, pre-post, descriptive study. To determine the acceptability and utility of a 7-week education and support group for parents of children with ASD. Parents completed self-report measures of parenting stress, anxiety, depression, life satisfaction, and empowerment.
Overview of PEaCE program:
Seven sessions, each lasting 1.5 hours, offered once per week
Week 1: Introductions
Week 2: ASD Psycho-Education
Week 3: Community Resources
Week 4: IEP/504, Parents’ rights
Week 5: Self-Care, Coping Skills
Week 6: Date Night / Self-Care Night
(respite care provided, but no group meeting)
Week 7: Wrap-up
Results:
Preliminary results show paired samples T-Tests revealed a significant increase in the Service System subscale of the Family Empowerment Scale, and trends for increases on the Family and Community/ Political subscales. Analyses also revealed trends for decreased pessimism as measured by the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress, as well as a trend for increased Satisfaction with Life
after participation in the Parent Education and Support Group. Final results will be completed by early March.
Conclusions:
Despite the brief nature of this program and very small sample size, trends in the parenting stress, family empowerment, and life satisfaction measures were promising and support the utility of this parenting education and support program. The researchers intend to conduct a randomized control trial, and may consider extending the length of the program. Additionally, parents who have participated in these groups frequently request ongoing support group meetings. Therefore we would like to offer ongoing support to parents who have completed this initial program. It may also be of interest to collect qualitative data from future participants to better understand the impact of participation in this group.
