A qualitative examination of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents with autism and their parents

Stadheim, Jenna; Johns, Ashley; Mitchell, Melissa; Smith, Christopher J.; Braden, B. Blair; Matthews, Nicole L.

doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104232

Cited by 18 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…One could argue that sharing a bedroom potentially prepares the best possible ground for sibling bullying as it increases the time spent together with no or low parental supervision, which increased the risk for sibling conflict and bullying (Monks et al, 2009; Toseeb, 2022; Wolke et al, 2015). It could also be argued that sharing a bedroom may potentially increase the risk of being involved in sibling bullying due to a lack of personal space and privacy (Stadheim et al, 2022). Given that sharing a bedroom increased the risk of bullying a sibling, but not being victimized by a sibling, we argue that autistic adolescents may tolerate their siblings less than being tolerated by their siblings.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A longitudinal study of sibling bullying and mental health in autistic adolescents: The role of self‐esteem

Deniz

Toseeb

2023

Autism Research

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Sibling bullying is associated with poor mental health in autistic adolescents. The reasons for this remain unknown. In the current study, we attempted to replicate the existing findings on the direct associations between sibling bullying and mental health in autistic adolescents and expand knowledge by focusing on the indirect associations through self‐esteem. We made use of existing data from the Millennium Cohort Study, a nationally representative UK‐based birth cohort study. We fitted a mediation model to longitudinal data from a sample of 416 autistic adolescents aged 11, 14, and 17 years old who had at least one sibling. We found that sibling bullying was prevalent in the lives of autistic adolescents, especially in those who were late‐diagnosed, had a shared bedroom, and lived in a low‐income household. Additionally, increased sibling bullying in early adolescence was a significant predictor of reduced self‐esteem in mid‐adolescence; in turn, reduced self‐esteem predicted poorer mental health and wellbeing in late adolescence. Our findings indicate that sibling bullying in early adolescence may indirectly lead to poorer mental health and wellbeing in late adolescence through a reduction in self‐esteem in mid‐adolescence in autistic adolescents. We discuss the implications of these findings further.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A longitudinal study of sibling bullying and mental health in autistic adolescents: The role of self‐esteem

Deniz

Toseeb

2023

Autism Research

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“…When looking at the negative RBs, our findings indicate that their presence during the pandemic was related to their presence during the pandemic, with the general worries of the children at the beginning and during the pandemic, and to their anxiety before and after the pandemic. Similarly, a study in the UK reported an increase in restricted and repetitive behaviors when the pandemic started (50). Such an association can be explained by the disruption of routines and the loss of helping services provided by schools and other rehabilitation services due to the lockdown (51).…”

Section: Worry At Startmentioning

confidence: 96%

Mental health impact of COVID-19 on Saudi families and children with special educational needs and disabilities in Saudi Arabia: A national perspective

Alenezi

Temsah²,

Alyahya³

et al. 2022

Front. Public Health

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IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic revealed a multidimensional impact on mental health due to health concerns, social distancing and lockdowns, job loss, and limits in institutional support. Accordingly, COVID-19 may disproportionally impact families with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) due to the already high prevalence of mental health conditions in children with SEND and their parents. Hence, it is essential to determine the short-term impact of the pandemic on the mental health of families with SEND to identify their ongoing health, including psychological wellbeing and support needs. The current study examines the anxiety level and concerns of children with SEND and their parents living in Saudi Arabia.MethodologyA cross-sectional national study design was utilized as a part of an international consortium using an online Arabic survey. Data were collected from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development beneficiaries from May to July 2020. The sample consisted of 1,848 parents of children with SEND aged between 1 and 18 years (mean = 9.66; SD = 4.31). A descriptive and bivariant analysis is reported.ResultsParental worries on all those concerns when the pandemic started were significantly higher than before the pandemic, p < 0.050. Parental-perceived general anxiety had risen significantly across time, p < 0.001, and their perceived anxiety when the pandemic started exceeded their anxiety before the pandemic, p < 0.001. The general anxiety of children with SEND had risen significantly across time (from before the pandemic to when it had started to during the pandemic), p < 0.001. The children's general worries at the start of the pandemic had correlated significantly and positively with their anxiety, adaptive, maladaptive, and coping efficacies, and parental anxiety scores, p < 0.010 each.ConclusionAnxiety levels were high in SEND and their caregivers before and during COVID-19. At the start of the pandemic, the anxiety, adaptive, maladaptive, coping efficacies, and parental anxiety scores of children with SEND were significantly and favorably correlated. These findings support the notion of SEND-specific anxiety and patterns of coping in SEND and their caregivers. The notion also attests to the institutional support required for this specifically vulnerable population during epidemics.

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“…Similar to this, Stadheim, J. et al conducted a survey of parents of children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years, highlighting the transition from face-to-face learning to remote learning. For some, this transition provided a protection factor, promoting fundamental resources to adapt to the changes imposed by the period 16 .…”

Section: Remote Teaching and Children/adolescents With Asdmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caring Parents

Santos¹,

Jesus²,

Santos³

et al. 2023

JHS

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Introduction:The COVID-19 pandemic has generated abrupt changes in the lives of children/adolescents with ASD, impacting the entire family environment, with consequences that can be quite negative. The aim of this study was to analyze the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic period in the lives of children/ adolescents with ASD and their caregivers. Methods: This is a descriptive study with a qualitative approach. Parents of children/ adolescents with ASD who were being treated at the location were eligible for the sample. Children and/or adolescents with ASD who reside in institutions or who did not regularly attend the institution before the pandemic were included in this research. The interviews were analyzed using Bardin's content method, with the following categories emerging: impacts of the pandemic period on children/adolescents with ASD (1), with three subcategories, namely: impacts on family routine, behavioral impacts and physical impacts; Remote teaching and children/adolescents with ASD (2); Repercussions of the pandemic period on the caregiver(3). Results: All interviewees were mothers of children/adolescents with ASD. Some interviewees mentioned that their family routine was directly impacted by the pandemic. 90% reported that their children showed behavioral worsening during the pandemic, while 40% reported that their children were also physically impacted by the period, mainly due to weight gain. In face of remote teaching, 60% of the interviewees reported the difficulty faced in carrying out the proposed activities. All mothers reinforced that they felt changes in their personal routine, in addition to the fear of not being offering the proper treatment to their children. Final considerations:The study identified that the pandemic had several impacts on the lives of children

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A qualitative examination of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children and adolescents with autism and their parents

Cited by 18 publications

References 26 publications

A longitudinal study of sibling bullying and mental health in autistic adolescents: The role of self‐esteem

A longitudinal study of sibling bullying and mental health in autistic adolescents: The role of self‐esteem

Mental health impact of COVID-19 on Saudi families and children with special educational needs and disabilities in Saudi Arabia: A national perspective

Impacts of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caring Parents

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