WeChat-based intervention improves mental health of parents of kids with autism

A WeChat-based parenting training (WBPT) programme helps ease anxiety, depression, and stress among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) amid school cancellations due to the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), according to a new study.

“Mothers raising children with ASD who might already be under huge pressure might suffer from greater psychological distress due to the influence of the pandemic,” the researchers said. “The WBPT … was conducted to support mothers with autistic children in coping with the pandemic and home training, which may play an important role in alleviating mothers’ anxiety and depression.”

The quasi-experimental trial enrolled 125 mothers with preschool children with ASD. Sixty participants were assigned to the control group, receiving routine care alone, while the other 65 were assigned to the intervention group and were given an additional 12-week WBPT programme. Anxiety, depression, and parenting stress were assessed at baseline, after the intervention, and at the 20-week follow-up.

By the end of the intervention period, the mean score on the Self-rated Anxiety Scale dropped to 47.85±8.02 in controls from 49.52±7.78 at baseline. Among the WBPT recipients, the reduction was greater, from 48.65±6.53 to 44.44±6.63. Such a trend continued until the final follow-up, at which point the mean scores for the corresponding groups were 46.53±7.67 and 42.64±6.32. [JMIR Ment Health 2021;doi:10.2196/23917]

Similarly, self-rated depression improved to a greater degree in the WBPT group, scoring 42.32±7.60 at the 20-week assessment, down from 48.24±7.72 at baseline. Corresponding scores in controls were 46.36±7.33 and 49.13±7.66.

Linear mixed models showed significant effects of group, time, and the group-by-time interaction on both anxiety and depression.

Parental stress likewise benefited from WBPT, especially in the domains of parenting distress and parent-child dysfunctional interaction, both of which saw significant effects of the group, time, and group-by-time interaction variables. The Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) was used to evaluate parental stress, and overall scores in the Index were also significantly better in WBPT mothers.

Importantly, participants found the WBPT programme to be highly feasible, with 90.4 percent of mothers in the intervention group reporting that they were “extremely satisfied” with the course; 6.7 percent, in comparison, said that they were “slightly satisfied.” Feasibility and satisfaction were assessed at the 20-week follow-up.

“The mothers’ high-level satisfaction suggested that the WBPT appeared to be pleasant experiences to them and that this approach was acceptable to these mothers with autistic children during the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, there were no complaints or other problems with the WBPT during the study,” the researchers said.

“The WBPT is a promising training method for reducing anxiety, depression, and parenting stress and increasing hope in mothers with autistic children during the COVID-19 pandemic. A rigorous design is needed to further assess the effectiveness of the WBPT in the future,” they added.