Detailed contribution information
| Contribution title | 2504 - Evaluation of a psycho-educative program designed for French-speaking parents of a child with ASD |
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| Contribution code | PS03-11 (P) |
| Authors | |
| Form of presentation | Poster |
| Topic |
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| Abstract |
Objectives: The objective of this research was to assess the effects of the program “Beyond ASD, parental skills within my reach”, which was designed to provide support tailored to the specific needs of parents of a child with ASD after their child’s diagnosis, taking into account the child’s developmental specificities and behavioral manifestations. Methods: “Beyond ASD…” program is currently being implemented in 6 clinical services in France. Participants filled out several questionnaires before (T0), after (T1) and 6 months after (T2) participating in the program. In this preliminary analysis, we investigated parents’ appreciation of the program (Personal Experience Inventory: PEI-Parent), children and parents’ characteristics, as well as the effects of the program on parental stress (Appraisal of life events scale, ALES), coping strategies (Ways of Coping Checklist, WCC-R), and quality of life (Specific scale for parents of a child with ASD). This preliminary analysis was carried out on 19 and 25 parents who had, so far, respectively participated in a full (5 group workshops + 5 face-to-face meetings) and a slimmed down version (5 group workshops only) of the program and completed questionnaires at T0 and T1. Results: All parents were satisfied with the program. For the full version, results showed that after participating in the program, parents perceived their situation less as a threat (ALES: T0=14.8, T1=10.9; t=3.2, ddl=18, p=.005) or a loss (T0=10.7, T1=7.7; t=2.1, ddl=18, p=.05), but more as a challenge (T0=12.1, T1=15.7; t=-2.7, ddl=18, p=.02). In addition, these parents declared using more problem-centered (WCC-R: T0=8.7, T1=12.8; t=-3.5, ddl=18, p=.003) coping strategies. As for quality of life, there was a significant decrease in the repercussions of the disorder on parents’ relationship with their child with ASD (T0=10.4, T1=8.2; t=2.2, ddl=18, p=.04) and, to a lesser extent, on their feeling of personal fulfillment (T0=9.8, T1 = 7.9, t=1.9, ddl=17, p=.07). For the slimmed-down version, results point in the same direction, but are not statistically significant. Conclusion: These results show that participating in the program was a positive experience for parents and induced a decrease in their stress levels and an improvement of their relationship with their child. They also used more effective coping strategies. Thus, this program provides efficient support to parents of a child with ASD. A control group is currently being recruited. |