Author(s)

Yinqiu Tan ¹, Yanli Chen ², Xia Kong ¹, Zhiyan Dong ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Meishan Vocational and Technical College Abnormal Apartment, Meizhou Avenue, Meishan, China
² Chongqing Medical and Pharmaceutical College, Huxi, Chongqing, China

Corresponding Author

Yanli Chen

ABSTRACT

To understand the mental health of parents of children with autism in Sichuan and Chongqing, this study conducted a questionnaire survey using the SCL-90 scale with 131 parents of children with autism and 298 parents of typically developing young children. The research findings are as follows: (1) Parents of children with autism in Sichuan and Chongqing scored higher than parents of typically developing children in various dimensions, with significant differences in scores on factors such as interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, and psychotic symptoms, as well as the overall scores. (2) There were no significant differences in the SCL-90 dimensions and overall scores based on the gender of parents. (3) Fathers of male children with autism scored significantly higher than mothers of female children with autism in the dimensions of somatization and anxiety. (4) Parents of children with autism in Sichuan Province scored significantly higher than parents in Chongqing Municipality in dimensions such as hostility, paranoia, psychotic symptoms, and others. (5) The severity of autism symptoms had an impact on the mental health of parents, with parents of children with moderate autism scoring significantly higher than parents of children with mild autism in various dimensions and overall scores, except for hostility and terror. (6) Educational level influenced the mental health of parents of children with autism. Parents holding postgraduate degrees or above get significantly higher score than those with undergraduate degrees in dimensions such as somatization, depression, anxiety, paranoia, and others. (7) Family income had a certain impact on the mental health of parents of children with autism, particularly in the dimension of terror, where parents with incomes below 50,000 per year scored significantly higher.

KEYWORDS

Autism; Parents of children with autism; Mental health

CITE THIS PAPER

Yinqiu Tan, Yanli Chen, Xia Kong, Zhiyan Dong, Current Status and Strategies for the Mental Health of Parents of Children with Autism in Sichuan and Chongqing of China. Applied & Educational Psychology (2023) Vol. 4: 52-58. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/appep.2023.041109.

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