Effectiveness of Mindfulness Based Psycho-Educational Program on Parental Stress of Selected Mothers of Children with Autism

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is the second most prevalent neuro-development disorder among children. Mothers of children with autism experience higher level of stress in their parenting work caused by the persistent illness of the child, anxiety about the child's future, and social isolation. Parents need the means to cope with such stress in dealing with their children with autism. This study done in Kerala, India, aimed to develop and assess the effectiveness of the Mindfulness Based Psycho-educational Program (MBPEP) among mothers who have children with autism to reduce mothers' stress related to parenting. The study was conducted in two phases. Phase 1: the development of the intervention program MBPEP, and Phase II: the assessment of the effectiveness of the newly developed intervention program (MBPEP); it employed a true experimental research method. A total of 40 mothers from semi-urban areas were randomly assigned to both control and experimental groups. The data analysis was done utilizing mean scores, independent sample t-test, and paired sample statistics. The pre-test and post-test scores of the experimental group showed significant differences (p= 0.000) at 0.05 levels; the scores of the control group and experimental group showed significant differences (p=0.000) in the dependent variable in the post-test.The result of the study reveals the effectiveness of the MBPEP in significantly reducing the stress of mothers of children with autism.