The effect of support group on the mental health and quality of life for mothers with autistic children.
A 10-week support group alone does not improve mental health for moms of autistic kids.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers ran a 10-week support group for the mothers of autistic kids.
They measured mental health and quality of life before and after.
Half the moms got the group. Half stayed on the wait-list.
What they found
The support group did not move the needle on mental health scores.
Mothers who felt better about life did show better mental health.
But the group itself did not create that boost.
How this fits with other research
Higgins et al. (2021) reviewed 19 Israeli moms and found growth themes like activism and spirituality.
Their work shows moms can thrive, yet Shu et al. (2005) found no gain from a simple group.
The difference is focus: the 2021 study looked at strengths, not just stress relief.
Dixon (2014) tracked moms for seven years and saw cognitive reframing help long-term.
Together, these papers say a short support group is not enough; teach coping skills and look for strengths.
Why it matters
Do not rely on a 10-week chat group to fix mom burnout. Instead, screen for strengths, teach reframing, and add skills like mindfulness or advocacy training.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of support groups on the mental health and quality of life for mothers with autistic children. METHOD: A quasi-experimental pre-post control group design was used in this study. The mothers had children without chronic diseases diagnosed as autistic based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and were their primary caregivers. The mothers were assigned to control or intervention groups based on their willingness. The 10 weeks of the support group programme served as an intervention. There were three waves of data collection: pre-test, post-test, and after 1 month follow-up. A total of 27 mothers with autistic children were assigned into experimental and control groups. In total, there were eight mothers in the experimental group and 19 mothers served as the control group. RESULTS: The results of this study showed that mental health had not significantly improved in the intervention group compared to those in the control group at the end of the first month during follow-up. However, the subjective well-being and employment status had an effect on their mental health. Only the subjective well-being had an effect on their quality of life. CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, recommendations included (1) regularly promulgating a caregiver support group, (2) the advancement of training skills within the group, and (3) upgrading and promoting nurses' ability to lead support groups in the future.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2005 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2005.00661.x