Psychological Fatigue, Well-Being and Parental Self-Efficacy among Mothers of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is an emerging factor and increasing day by day. Almost every child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has difficult behaviors, which include aggressive and disruptive tendencies toward others as well as themselves. Being a mother of an autistic child is a challenge in itself. There are several reasons why they could face psychological fatigue stress and low levels of self-efficacy as a parent when their children are socially isolated and people see them very differently due to various superstitions and social stigma. Aim: This study aims to identify the level of stress, fatigue, and parenting competency among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Method: The study followed a quantitative cross-sectional study design and the data was collected using a purposive sampling technique from 123 mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. Data collection was done by the face-to-face survey from CRP (Savar and Mirpur branches) alongside other therapy centers around Dhaka city. Biological mothers who are literate and 18 years old or above are included in this study. The researcher used DASS-21 (Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21), FAS (Fatigue Assessment Scale), and PSOC (The Parenting Sense of Competence Scale) to measure the level of psychological well-being, fatigue, and parental self-efficacy among mothers of children. Descriptive analysis was done using SPSS (Statistical Package of Social Science) version 20. After identifying the levels of depression, anxiety, fatigue, and parental self-efficacy among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder a Spearman’s correlation test was performed to identify the strength and direction of relativity among these variables. Result: According to mental health evaluations, 45.5% (56) of participants had normal levels of depression, 41.5% (51) had normal levels of anxiety, and 54.5% (67) had normal levels of stress. There was variation in the levels of fatigue, 59.3% (73) reported normal fatigue. The majority of parents had a low level of self-efficacy, with 54.5% (67) claiming such. The results of this study also indicated that there is a moderately strong and positive correlation among fatigue, depression, anxiety, and stress. The variables depression (r = -0.447), anxiety (r =-0.371), stress (r = -0.433), and fatigue (r = -0.445) are all moderately and negatively correlated with parental self-efficacy (PSOC) (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results of this research emphasize the need for focused treatments and systems of support to improve the general mental health and parental self-efficacy of mothers who are raising children with autism spectrum disorder. Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder, Fatigue, Depression, Anxiety, Stress, Parental self-efficacy.