The Relationship Between Executive Functioning and Burnout, Depressive, Anxiety and Broad Autism Phenotype Symptoms in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare burnout, depression, anxiety and broad autism phenotype scores in parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with parents of typically developing (TD) healthy children and to investigate the relationship between these scores and executive functions. Materials and Methods: This study included 43 parents of children diagnosed with ASD and 53 healthy controls aged 29-40 years. Participants were evaluated with Beck anxiety-depression inventory, Maslach burnout inventory and Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores. Parents were assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for Mental Disorders using the Fifth Edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the Stroop test was administered to assess executive functions in parents. Results: Significantly higher anxiety, depression, burnout and AQ scores were observed in the ASD group compared to controls (p< 0.001). Compared to controls, the ASD group performed significantly worse on the Stroop test (p< 0.05). In addition, poor performance in the Stroop test was not significantly associated with anxiety, depression, burnout and AQ scores in the ASD group. Conclusions: This study suggests that parents of children with ASD may have more anxiety, depression and burnout symptoms.