Symptoms of anxiety and depression and quality of life in parents of children with autism during the second wave of the pandemic.
Parents of autistic children suffered much worse mental health during COVID-19 than other parents - we need to screen and support them proactively.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Pondé et al. (2023) asked 312 parents of autistic kids in Brazil to fill out online surveys. They measured anxiety, depression, and quality of life during COVID-19's second wave. They compared these parents to parents of kids with other disabilities and parents of neurotypical kids.
The survey took place between October 2020 and March 2021, when cases were high and lockdowns were strict.
What they found
Parents of autistic children scored much worse on every measure. They had a large share higher anxiety and a large share higher depression than other parent groups. Their quality of life scores were the lowest of all groups studied.
The gap was largest for single parents and those with lower income.
How this fits with other research
Shawler et al. (2021) extends these findings by showing the same COVID-19 period also caused major behavior problems in the autistic children themselves. While Pereira focused on parent mental health, A et al. documented that a large share of kids had moderate-to-large negative behavioral changes.
Davy et al. (2024) appears to contradict Pereira's negative findings, showing that caregiver quality of life can actually be high. The key difference: Gemma studied families during normal times, while Pereira studied families during the pandemic. This isn't a true contradiction - it shows how much the pandemic hurt these families.
Aiello et al. (2022) offers a practical extension by testing video-feedback parent training during the same pandemic period. They found this telehealth approach kept parents engaged and reduced dropouts, suggesting a way to help the struggling parents identified by Pereira.
Why it matters
You should screen parents of your autistic clients for anxiety and depression at every visit. Ask simple questions like 'How are you sleeping?' or 'How's your stress level?' If scores are high, offer telehealth parent training like Aiello's video-feedback model. Even brief check-ins can catch problems early and keep families in treatment.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Local political discord together with isolation and fear marked the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. AIMS: To determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms and analyze adult quality of life (QoL) during the pandemic in four groups: "childless", "children without mental problems", "children with autism" and "children with other mental problems." METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A sample of 867 individuals recruited using social media in northeastern Brazil completed the following instruments: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS, Brazilian version), the WHOQOL-Bref, and a sociodemographic form OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The mean score for depression was significantly higher in the "children with autism" group compared to the other groups. The mean anxiety score was significantly higher in the "children with autism" and "childless" groups. Mean QoL scores were lower in the "children with autism" group compared to the other groups for all the domains, with this difference being statistically significant compared with the "children without mental problems" group for all the domains. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Anxiety and depression symptoms were greater and QoL scores were lower in parents of children with autism. All groups benefitted from logistic support during the pandemic, whereas having to care for others negatively impacted QoL.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2023 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104620