Parental stress in autistic parents: The counseling effects

Abstract

Introduction

In parents of autistic children there are high levels of stress. For parents, counseling can help them face the world of autism through the many stressors they experiment.

Objectives

To evidence a possible effect of the counseling intervention on parental stress.

Methods

The sample consisted of 24 parents (mean age = 38.7) of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder related to the treatment centre “Una breccia nel muro”. Parents’ group was randomly divided into two subgroups, the first (EG experimental group) consists in 12 parents, which were included in a counseling treatment of six months (one meeting of 2 hours every 15 days), while the other subgroup parents, (CG control group) were not included. We used parenting stress index–short form (PSI-SF) before counseling intervention (T0) and after (T1) with every parent. PSI values stress level in following scales: parental distress (PD), parent-child dysfunctional interaction (PCDI) and difficult child characteristics (DC). Figure 1 shows all the variables in each group at T0 and T1.

Results

Then a 2-tail t-test was separately carried out for each group (Counseling Yes; Counseling No). Counseling Yes: PD (t₂₂ = .70, P = .49); PCDI (t₂₂ = .72, P = .47); DC (t₂₂ = 2.23, P = .03); Tot Stress (t₂₂ = 1.04, P = .3). Counseling No: PD (t₂₂ = .82, P = .42); PCDI (t₂₂ = 1.7, P = .09); DC (t₂₂ = .59, P = .56); Tot Stress (t₂₂ = .72, P = .48)

Conclusions

Our data confirm the positive effects of counseling especially on the difficulties related to children (DC scale).

Disclosure of interest

The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Fig. 1