Interventions to Improve Outcomes for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis.

Lee et al. (2022) pooled 37 trials of parent training for families of children with autism. They looked at how the programs changed parents, not the kids.

They asked: Do these trainings lift parent confidence, mood, stress, or sense of burden?

The review found tiny but real gains in parenting confidence and mental health. The numbers for stress, burden, and physical health stayed flat.

In plain words: the classes help parents feel a bit more capable, but they don’t touch daily strain.

Burrell et al. (2025) looked at nine trials that used strict behavioral parent training. They saw medium drops in parent-reported disruptive behavior and small drops in parent stress. Same kind of training, but they caught stress relief that T et al. missed. The difference: Lindsey focused only on behavioral packages aimed at child behavior, while T cast a wider net that diluted the stress signal.

Sutton et al. (2022) tested an 8-week mindfulness and acceptance group called AMOR. They found large gains in resilience and stress. Their result extends T’s work: when you add explicit coping skills, the payoff jumps from small to large.

Hartley et al. (2019) reviewed mindfulness studies for caregivers. They also saw reliable wellbeing gains, backing up the idea that mindfulness modules can fill the gap T identified.

If you run standard parent training, expect a mild boost in parent confidence but no magic for stress. To move the needle on caregiver strain, bolt on mindfulness or acceptance activities. Try a short weekly parent relaxation or values exercise before the skill-coaching segment. Track parent stress with a five-item scale; you should see quicker change than with skills alone.