Implications of parental stress on worsening of behavioral problems in children with autism during COVID-19 pandemic: “the spillover hypothesis”

Eshraghi, Adrien A.; Cavalcante, Leylane; Furar, Emily; Alessandri, Michael; Eshraghi, Rebecca S.; Armstrong, F. Daniel; Mittal, Rahul

doi:10.1038/s41380-021-01433-2

Cited by 18 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…A common feature of children with ASD is a strict follow up with their schedule, and disruption of their routines can cause them significant distress [ 46 ]. Due to this, individuals with ASD are particularly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic [ 10 , 47 , 48 ]. Adapting to new daily routines, environmental changes, and uncertainty related to the pandemic have been determined to be causing distress in children with ASD, worsening both the core features of ASD and their overall mental health [ 49 , 50 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Results further revealed strong correlations between efficacy and frequency of parent-mediated strategies ( parent routine and parent shielding) for all three age groups. Stay-at-home orders during the pandemic necessitated a more active parenting role in their child’s education, and a need to balance working at home with other child giving demands [ 9 , 10 ]. Further, news regarding the pandemic’s effects is likely to have impacted parenting stress and anxiety, as well as for their child [ 13 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The urgency of the situation and the abrupt changes which followed left many families of children with ASD in a state of uncertainty due to the alterations to the typical environments and routines their children had become accustomed to. These disruptions of essential services and therapies have been hypothesized to result in worsening autism symptoms, increased behavioral challenges and decreased mental well-being for children with ASD [ 9 , 10 ]. A clear understanding of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ASD population, is vital to allow for better preparation for future public health emergencies and pandemics in order to reduce the adverse effects for these individuals.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Efficacy of coping mechanisms used during COVID-19 as reported by parents of children with autism

et al. 2023

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The COVID-19 pandemic’s alterations to daily life have been especially challenging for families with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), worsening the core features of ASD and overall mental health. With the increased need for effective coping, the current retrospective study used data from a survey regarding parent reports of how often their child with ASD used certain coping strategies (frequency), as well as the extent to which they felt their child benefitted from their use (efficacy) in mitigating stress during the pandemic. This retrospective study Repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted to evaluate whether there were significant differences in both frequency and efficacy ratings for each coping strategy, for the entire sample as well as for three children’s age groups. Using Spearman’s rank-order correlations, correlation coefficients between the frequency and efficacy of each coping strategy were explored. Results revealed that maladaptive strategies were used more frequently than adaptive strategies, while parent routine as the most frequently used and efficacious for all age groups. Additionally, for adaptive strategies, humor and focusing on the positive had the strongest correlations between frequency and efficacy ratings amongst all age groups. Of the maladaptive strategies, repetitive behaviors, rumination, and isolation had the strongest correlations for the youngest, middle, and oldest age groups, respectively. Further, for each age group, the adaptive coping strategies had stronger correlations between frequency and efficacy than the maladaptive ones. It is our hope that the results of this study will lay the foundation for developing adaptive coping strategies to alleviate stress in children with ASD. Further investigations using a larger cohort are warranted to determine effective coping strategies for individuals with ASD across a range of situations, including acute stressors (such as future public health emergencies and natural disasters), as well as common daily stressors.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Efficacy of coping mechanisms used during COVID-19 as reported by parents of children with autism

et al. 2023

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“…Autism Spectrum Disorder is a complex neurological developmental disorder involving the structure and function of the brain and nervous system. Among the apparent characteristics in children diagnosed with ASD are delays in language development, sensitivity to changes in routine, sensory-related sensitivity involving smell, light, sound as well as touch, unusual social interactions, atypical play patterns, patterns of stereotypical behavior, repetition of odd behavior, aggressiveness, hyperactivity and lack of concentration (Eshraghi et al, 2022). ASD is known as a spectrum of delirium because its symptoms and severity are unique to each ASD individual (Vuijk et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of Pressure Upon Parents in Raising Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Seeridaram¹,

Rashid²

2023

IJARBSS

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In 2017, the World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that 1 in 160 children worldwide is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which continues to grow worldwide. This statistic proves that many parents worldwide continue to battle the challenge of raising and educating this select group of children. This paper is a comprehensive study, gleaning information from various pieces of writing and research focused on the pressure influencing parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in terms of caregiving whilst finding a practical alternative in caring for children with special needs. This research has revealed that behavioral difficulties, financial constraints, and societal acceptance largely contribute to the pressure parents of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) experience. The result of this research shows that parents of children with ASD face a plethora of difficulties and require support from various entities in order to navigate them successfully. To lessen the caregiver's burden, spouses, typically developing children, the community, and the government must provide unwavering support and understanding. Hence, this research aims to provide insight into the struggles faced by parents of children with ASD or even serve as a guideline to develop support or intervention programs for children with ASD and their parents.

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“…Most families, in fact, declared greater than usual difficulties in managing daily tasks and a worsening of their children’s inadequate behaviors [ 34 , 35 ]. The high level of parental psychological distress became a major challenge for ASD families, that in turn affected their supportiveness towards the child [ 36 , 37 ]. A recent survey conducted in the United States (US) on over 3000 parents/caregivers of children with ASD reported that many families did not receive any intervention, while those services that switched to a telehealth format provided limited support and showed benefits, especially for preschool children [ 38 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Video-Feedback Approach Improves Parental Compliance to Early Behavioral Interventions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Investigation

et al. 2022

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In the field of autism intervention, a large amount of evidence has demonstrated that parent-mediated interventions are effective in promoting a child’s learning and parent caring skills. Furthermore, remote delivery treatments are feasible and can represent a promising opportunity to reach families at distance with positive results. Recently, the sudden outbreak of COVID-19 dramatically disrupted intervention services for autism and forced an immediate reorganization of the territory services toward tele-assisted intervention programs, according to professional and local resources. Our study aimed to conduct a retrospective pilot exploratory investigation on parental compliance, participation, and satisfaction in relation to three different telehealth intervention modalities, such as video feedback, live streaming, and psychoeducation, implemented in the context of a public community setting delivering early autism intervention during the COVID-19 emergency. We found that parents who attended video feedback expressed the highest rate of compliance and participation, while parental psychoeducation showed significantly lower compliance and the highest drop-out rate. Regardless of the tele-assistance modality, all the participants expressed satisfaction with the telehealth experience, finding it useful and effective. Potential benefits and advantages of different remote modalities with reference to parent involvement and effectiveness are important aspects to be taken into account and should be further investigated in future studies.

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Implications of parental stress on worsening of behavioral problems in children with autism during COVID-19 pandemic: “the spillover hypothesis”

Cited by 18 publications

References 8 publications

Efficacy of coping mechanisms used during COVID-19 as reported by parents of children with autism

Efficacy of coping mechanisms used during COVID-19 as reported by parents of children with autism

The Impact of Pressure Upon Parents in Raising Children Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Video-Feedback Approach Improves Parental Compliance to Early Behavioral Interventions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Investigation

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