Attitude, anxiety and perceived mental health care needs among parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Saudi Arabia during COVID-19 pandemic.
Saudi parents of autistic children felt a sharp rise in anxiety during COVID-19 and still want online training, money help, and direct therapist contact.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Althiabi (2021) sent an online survey to Saudi parents who have a child with autism. They asked how anxious parents felt, what help they wanted, and how the pandemic changed daily life.
Mothers and fathers answered during the first COVID-19 wave. The team compared moms to dads and parents of younger kids to parents of older kids.
What they found
Parents said their anxiety shot up once schools and clinics closed. Moms felt the strain more than dads. Parents of little ones reported the sharpest rise in worry.
Three things topped the wish list: online parent training, cash aid, and direct contact with a therapist. Most families said they got none of these.
How this fits with other research
Gu et al. (2023) pooled 20 surveys from around the world. Their meta-analysis shows the Saudi spike is part of a global pattern—about half of autism caregivers hit clinical anxiety levels during COVID-19.
Pondé et al. (2023) ran a similar survey in Brazil and found the same jump in parent anxiety and depression. The replication across continents strengthens the signal: the pandemic hit these parents hard everywhere.
Lu et al. (2026) followed Chinese families across three pandemic waves. Anxiety and depression kept rising even after lockdowns eased. Their longitudinal data extend the Saudi snapshot by showing the distress does not bounce back on its own.
Why it matters
If you serve Arabic-speaking families, expect lingering worry. Screen parent stress at every visit. Offer short online ACT lessons or weekly phone check-ins—van der Miesen et al. (2024) and Sutton et al. (2022) show these low-cost steps can stabilize mood. Add flexible payment plans or telehealth slots; the Saudi data say cost and access remain top barriers.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: COVID-19 pandemic has generated anxiety and mental health issues in the common population. In general, anxiety and poor health are higher in parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) than parents of children without ASD. However, the symptoms of anxiety, depression and poor mental health are likely to be more escalated in parents of children with ASD during COVID-19, possibly due to the emergency measures involving suspension of essential services, closure of schools, work-from-home policy and lack of professional support, etc. AIM: This empirical research aimed to explore the attitude, anxiety and perceived mental health care of parents of children with ASD in the COVID-19 pandemic. METHOD: A total of 211 participants, including mothers and fathers of children with ASD from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, participated in this online study. Along with demographic details, data on attitude, anxiety, mental health status and perceived mental health care were obtained using both self-reported questionnaire and reference standard questionnaire. The collected data were analysed using t-test, Pearson correlation analysis and linear regression analysis. The responses to open-ended questions were also collected and analysed qualitatively. RESULTS: The study revealed that attitudes towards taking care of children with ASD were affected by parents' age and child's age, and mothers were more affected. Further, the anxiety of parents during COVID-19 was significantly higher than before the COVID-19 situation. It was found that parents' mental status during COVID-19 mediated the interaction between anxiety and perceived mental health care. Finally, the open-ended questions indicated that parents sought support from teachers, family members and therapists to deal with children with ASD during the pandemic outbreak. In the context of perceived mental health care, besides psychological and financial support, other measures like training sessions, online classes, etc., were recommended. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study insisted on the importance of support from government and local health authorities to introduce interventions for parents and children with ASD to improve the overall mental health.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103873