(PS3-B46) Parent Internalizing Disorders and Self-care Behaviors: Understanding the Effects on Parent Involvement in Autism Spectrum Disorder Interventions

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) not only affects those who have the diagnosis, but also those involved in the lives of individuals who have ASD. Often those most involved in the lives of those with ASD include parents and caretakers. The involvement of parents within their child’s (ASD) intervention is well known to lead to better developmental outcomes. However, many parents find it difficult to engage in their child’s treatment given the many roles that they play and the stress that they experience. As such exploring the variables that inhibit their engagement can shed light on how treatment and services can focus on parents and encourage their involvement. This poster examines variables to provide further insight into the future directions of addressing parents within their child’s ASD interventions. Specifically, this presentation will delve into the presence of anxiety and depression in parents of children with ASD and will investigate the self-care behaviors they may engage in. While this population is well known for the significant rates of internalizing disorders they experience, which are often higher than that of the general population, their self-care behaviors remain elusive in the present literature, and it is important to understand how these behaviors may impact their experiences as a parent. With the consideration of these variables and previous research, the present study collected data from 84 participants. Participants were given the Parent Involvement Survey for Autism Treatment-Version 2 (PISAT-2), the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), the Mindfulness Self-Care Scale (MSCS), and the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS) through Qualtrics. After running a sequential multiple regression, we found a relationship between the self-care behaviors and parental involvement in their child’s ASD intervention. This finding suggests that when parents engage in more self-care behaviors they are more likely to be involved in their child’s ASD intervention. While no relationship was found between internalizing disorders and parent involvement as observed through point-biserial correlation, the significant findings highlight the need for support and encouragement to engage parents in self-care behaviors within and outside of child ASD interventions. These findings do not negate the internalizing experiences of this population, but instead indicates that the implementation of self-care strategies could be a focus of intervention for parents of children with ASD which may contribute to better child outcomes. The implications of this study are crucial in this literature and may help to formulate how to best treat these individuals within the clinical and community settings.