Impact of Psychoeducational Therapy on Parental Well-being and Autism Severity of Children: A Comprehensive Interventional Study

Background: The incidence of autism spectrum disorder has been on the rise, posing substantial challenges for children with autism and their parents. Child autism and parental anxiety are positively associated. Introduction of effective interventions is of great vitality in improving outcomes for both children and parents. Psychoeducational therapies have emerged as a potential strategy in assisting parents of autistic children. Objective: The objective is to study the effect of psychoeducational therapy in alleviating the severity of autism as well as anxiety and stress levels in parents of autistic children. Materials and Methods: A total of 150 subjects participated (50 fathers, 50 mothers and their 50 autistic children) in this 3 months’ intervention program. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted to measure autism severity of children. Autism severity was assessed using the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism tool. Parental anxiety levels were measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale, and parental stress was evaluated using the Perceived Stress Scale. Descriptive statistics, paired t -test, and independent t -test for comparative analyses were performed on the data. Results: The findings reflected a significant reduction in autism severity following the intervention (preintervention: 99.34 ± 10.23, postintervention: 84.26 ± 10.55, P < 0.001*). Moreover, both fathers and mothers showed a significant reduction in anxiety levels ( P < 0.001*) and stress levels ( P < 0.001*) after the intervention. Conclusion: The findings indicate that psychoeducational interventions have a positive impact on autism severity as well as anxiety and stress levels in parents of autistic children. These findings add to the expanding body of research demonstrating the efficacy of therapies aimed at both developmental outcomes of autistic children and the well-being of their parents.