Effects of a Father-based In-Home Intervention on Perceived Stress and Family Dynamics in Parents of Children with Autism

摘要

Parents of children with autism report high rates of stress. Parental differences in stress are inconsistent, with most research demonstrating that mothers report higher levels of stress than fathers. This study explored parental differences pre-post an interdisciplinary in-home training program. Fathers of children with autism were taught an intervention designed to improve their child's social reciprocity and communication, and then trained the mothers. Stress through the PSI and family dynamics through the FACES-II was assessed. Pre-intervention, both mothers and fathers reported high levels of stress. Post-intervention, father's stress was reduced, but did not show significance possibly due to the variability in their scores; mothers’ stress scores reduced significantly. Parenting styles were significantly different pre and post intervention. Based on subscale scores on the FACES-II, mothers were more adaptable, while fathers were more structured. Interdisciplinary teams, including OT's, nurses and special educators, can work together to provide early intervention and positively impact the lives of families of children with autism.