Parenting with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

N/ARecruitingNCT06502054

Universitätsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf184 enrolled

Overview

In many individuals, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is recognized and diagnosed late in adolescence or even in adulthood, despite the presence of long-standing impairments and distress. One area that has received little attention so far is research and interventions in clinical practice that relate to the experienced realities of parenthood for autistic adults or offer support in this context. The few existing research findings in this field suggest that parents with ASD might face specific challenges. At the same time, there is a lack of empirical research on the experiences autistic adults have with parenthood, whether they perceive a need for specific support services, and, if so, what those services should look like. To fill this research gap, this study aims to examine the mental health, needs, and strengths of parents with ASD. Particular focus will be given to parental stress and difficulties in the areas of mentalization and emotion regulation, which can increase the risk of psychological comorbidities. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study will investigate to what extent an already established parenting program or an adaptation thereof might be suitable to address the specific requirements of autistic parents and enhance their parenting skills.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

184

Conditions

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

In- and exclusion criteria for the study population: Inclusion Criteria: * Parents who fulfill the main diagnosis of ASD, including atypical autism (ICD-10: F84.1) and Asperger syndrome (ICD-10: F84.5) * Age ≥ 18 years * Have a child aged 0 to 6 years Exclusion Criteria: * Below-average general cognitive ability (according to clinical impression) * Lack of German language skills * Severe visual or hearing impairment (uncorrected) * Serious neurological and psychiatric illnesses (e.g., epilepsy, psychoses) * Acute suicidal tendencies (according to clinical findings) Eligibility Criteria for the Control Group Inclusion Criteria: * Parents without a lifetime main diagnosis of a psychiatric illness (ICD-10-GM-2016: F10 - F69) * Age ≥ 18 years * Have a child aged 0 to 6 years * Matched to the study group in terms of age and gender Exclusion Criteria: * Above-mentioned psychiatric diagnoses * Below-average general cognitive ability * Lack of German language skills * Severe impairment of vision or hearing (not corrected)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Mentalization

The Mentalization Scale (MentS) is a 28-item instrument for measuring mentalization in three aspects: self-related, other-related, and motivation to mentalize. The total score for the MentS ranges from 28 to 140, with higher scores indicating a higher overall ability to mentalize. Higher scores in the subscales and total score indicate a higher ability to mentalize.