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Interventions that target improvements in mental health for parents of children with autism spectrum disorders: A narrative review.

Clinical psychology review
February 1, 2017
Nikko S Da Paz et al. (2 authors)
Journal ArticleReviewHuman Study
Study Details

Study Goal

The researchers aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, in improving the mental health of parents of children with ASD.

Results Summary

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction showed medium to large effect sizes in reducing parenting stress, depression, and anxiety, though long-term follow-up data was limited.

Population

English-speaking mothers of children with ASD, aged 39 to 42 years.

Effective Dosage

Not specified

Duration

Not specified

Interactions

None mentioned

Extracted Claims (8)
InterventionDirectionEndpointPopulationDosageImpactClaim #
Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques
increase
mental health of parents of children with ASD
parents of children with ASD
-
appeared promising
#1
Expressive Writing
increase
mental health of parents of children with ASD
parents of children with ASD
-
appeared promising
#2
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
increase
mental health of parents of children with ASD
parents of children with ASD
-
appeared promising
#3
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
increase
mental health of parents of children with ASD
parents of children with ASD
-
appeared promising
#4
treatment
increase
parenting stress
parents of children with ASD
medium to large effect sizes
produced medium to large effect sizes with improvements
#5
treatment
increase
general health
parents of children with ASD
medium to large effect sizes
produced medium to large effect sizes with improvements
#6
treatment
decrease
depression
parents of children with ASD
medium to large effect sizes
produced medium to large effect sizes with reductions
#7
treatment
decrease
anxiety
parents of children with ASD
medium to large effect sizes
produced medium to large effect sizes with reductions
#8
Abstract

Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) suggest that one in 68 children is affected. With convincing evidence that parenting a child with ASD is associated with elevated distress and mental health problems, researchers have begun to investigate treatments that directly target parents' psychological well-being. We conducted a narrative review of studies that empirically tested the effects of interventions targeting improvements in the mental health of parents of children with ASD. Following a range of search strategies, a total of 13 studies, seven randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and six pre-post test designs, met inclusion criteria. We calculated and reported effect sizes for all RCTs. On average, treatment produced medium to large effect sizes with improvements in parenting stress and general health, and reductions in depression and anxiety. Interventions that appeared promising included: Stress Management and Relaxation Techniques, Expressive Writing, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. However, only one study conducted a follow-up assessment >3months post intervention. Study populations primarily consisted of English-speaking mothers, ages 39 to 42years. Conclusions were limited by small sample sizes, homogeneity of sample population, and reliance on self-report. Therefore, this body of research contains significant limitations in need of improvement for this field to move forward and benefit a sizable number of parents.

Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
Autism Spectrum DisorderHumansMental HealthParentingParentsPsychotherapyStress, Psychological
Study Links
Quality Scores
SafetyNot Assessed
Efficacy75/10
Quality65/10
Citation Metrics
Total Citations74
Citations/Year9.3
Relative Citation Ratio5.13
NIH Percentile93.3%
Research Impact Scores
APT Score0.75
Weight Score1.93
Normalized Score0.63
Related Supplements
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