Background To assess the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), type 1 diabetes (DM), and typical development (TD), in a geographical area where such data are lacking Method A descriptive study with the three groups of parents of children with and without a condition was conducted (ASD n=126, group 1; DM n=43, group 2; and TD n= 116, comparative group). Measures of depression, anxiety, and stress were collected to examine the prevalence of factors, difference between groups, and their association with demographic characteristics. Results On the DASS-21, both groups 1 and 2 had higher mean scores for depression (37.86), anxiety (4.58), and stress (29.81) than the control group (P=0.015). On the PSS-14, the mean score was higher in group 2 (28.63) than in group 1 (27.61) and the comparison group (25.87) (P=0.004). On the DASS 21, group 1 scored higher in the depression domain (P=0.046), whereas group 2 scored higher in the anxiety domain (P=0.034) and stress domain (P=0.009) than the TD group. Conclusion Mothers of children with ASD should be assessed for the presence of depression following diagnosis. Mothers of children with type 1 diabetes require careful monitoring for the effects of anxiety and stress on their mental health and therefore their ability to cope with diabetes management plans. Trial registration Not applicable.

Background: To assess the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), type 1 diabetes, and typical development (TD), in a geographical area where such data are lacking.Method: The study sample comprised a group of mothers of children with ASD (group 1; n=126), a group of mothers of children with diabetes mellitus (group 2; n=43), and a control group of mothers of children with TD (n=116).Results: On the DASS-21, both groups 1 and 2 had higher mean scores for depression (37.86), anxiety (4.58), and stress (29.81) than the control group (P=0.015). On the PSS-14, the mean score was higher in group 2 (28.63) than in group 1 (27.61) and the control group (25.87) (p=0.004). On the DASS 21, group 1 scored higher in the depression domain (p=0.046), whereas group 2 scored higher in the anxiety domain (p=0.034) and stress domain (p=0.009) than the TD group.Conclusion: Mothers of children with ASD should be assessed for the presence of depression following diagnosis. Mothers of children with type 1 diabetes require careful monitoring for the effects of anxiety and stress on their mental health and therefore their ability to cope with diabetes management plans.

ObjectivesTo assess the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among mothers of children of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), type 1 diabetes, and typically developed (TD).Method. The study sample comprised mothers of children with ASD ( Group 1; n = 116), diabetes mellitus (Group 2; n = 43 ), and a control group of mothers with TD children.ResultsBoth groups 1 and 2 had higher scores of depression (37.86), anxiety (4.58), and stress (29.81) in DASS-21 in comparison to control (P = 0.015). On PSS-14 The mean score on PSS-14 were: group 1 (27.61), group 2 (28.63) and control (25.87) (p = 0.004). Group 1 scored higher scores for depression domain (p = 0.046) whereas group 2 for anxiety domain (p = 0.034) and stress domain (p = 0.009) in comparison to TD group on DASS-21.ConclusionMothers of children with ASD should be assessed for the presence of depression following diagnosis. Mothers of children with type 1 diabetes required careful monitoring for the effects of anxiety and stress on their mental health, therefore their ability to cope with a management plan.