The Study of a Parental Education Program on the Mental Health of Parents and Behavioral Problems of Their Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Introduction:  Early interventions can play an important role in alleviating or eliminating many of the major symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and enhancing new skills. Parental education can reduce the parents' depression and stress and increase their empowerment. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of a parental education program the mental health of parents, behavioral problems of their children with ASD. Methods: A group of 30 parents of children with ASD in Tehran, Iran were selected by a convenience sampling and were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. The  parents in the intervention group received educational intervention according to Tonge et al. (2006)’s method in 10 sessions each for 90 min in Tehran Psychiatric Institute. Data collection tools were the Family Assessment Device, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale, Billings and Mouse's Coping Strategies Scale, and 28-item General Health Questionnaire.  All participants were evaluated at three stages of pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up. Results: The effect of parental education program on the clinical symptoms and its dimensions was significant at three measurement phases. In the 3-month follow-up duration, the results remained unchanged. There were a significant difference between the two study groups in general health, family function, coping strategies, and children’s behaviors (F=4.859, P=0.023). Conclusion: Parental education can improve the mental health of parents and reduce the behavioral problems of their ASD children.