Stereotypies in children with autism spectrum disorders as a risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders in their parents

Stereotypies in children with autism spectrum disorders as a risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders in their parents

 

Authors

 

L.Zh. Attaeva

State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Psychiatric Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after N.A. Alekseev of the

Department of Health of the City of Moscow”, Moscow, Russian Federation

I.V. Makarov

Federal State Budgetary Institution “V.M. Bekhterev National Medical Research Center for Psychiatry and Neurology” of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation; Federal State Budgetary Educational Institution of Higher Education “I.I. Mechnikov North-Western State Medical University of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation

А.А. Sedinkin

State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Psychiatric Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after N.A. Alekseev of the

Department of Health of the City of Moscow”, Moscow, Russian Federation

 

https://doi.org/10.26617/1810-3111-2023-4(121)-30-36

 

Journal:Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry. 2023; 4 (121): 30-36.

 

Abstract

Background. Despite the fact that the study of autism is actively developing and has important implications for public health and the global medical community, there is little research examining the impact of nurturing a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the level of anxiety in parents, including taking into account the severity and nature of deviations in physical and motor development. Objective: to identify the level of anxiety in parents nurturing children with ASD, and the influence of the severity of stereotypies in this group of children on the level of anxiety of their parents. Materials and Methods. The study was conducted based on the branch of the State Budgetary Healthcare Institution “Psychiatric Clinical Hospital No. 1 named after N.A. Alekseev of the Department of Health of the City of Moscow” “Psychoneurological Dispensary No. 15” with the participation of parents nurturing children with diagnosed ASD (F84.0 according to ICD-10). The severity of stereotypies in children (n=407)  aged 3-10 years was determined based on the results of a survey of parents (n=507) using a validated questionnaire. The level of anxiety in parents was determined by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (anxiety subscale), the severity of anxiety was determined by a score of clinical severity, and the severity of stereotypies in children was taken into account. Statistical analysis of the results obtained was carried out using the Microsoft Excel 2020 and Statistica 10.0 software package. Results. Most (64.5%) children with ASD were characterized by daily stereotypies with difficulty distracting or interrupting stereotypic behavior (56.8%), which interferred with the child’s communication with other children (89.55%), parents and relatives (76.73). %) and interferred with children's learning due to impaired social communication and interaction (83.23%). About half (47.93%) of parents of children with ASD, according to psychodiagnostic testing, were characterized by clinically moderate anxiety. A statistically significant (p=0.0001) strong relationship was found between the influence of the severity of stereotypies in children with ASD on the level of anxiety in parents (r=0.819). Conclusion. The results of the study indicated that parents of children with ASD had a high level of anxiety, which correlated with a high level of severity of stereotypy in the child. The therapeutic intervention model, which took into account the needs of all family members, was most effective from the point of view of the child’s psychophysical development and his/her further prognosis. The data obtained can be used in programs of therapy and psychosocial-rehabilitation support for families with children with autism.

 

Keywords:autism spectrum disorders, early childhood autism, stereotypies, anxiety.

 

Article(pdf)

 

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Materials

 

For citation: Attaeva L.Zh., Makarov I.V., Sedinkin A.A. Stereotypies in children with autism spectrum disorders as a risk factor for the development of anxiety disorders in their parents. Siberian Herald of Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry. 2023; 4 (121): 30-36. https://doi.org/10.26617/1810-3111-2023-4(121)-30-36

 

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