Exploring stress, self-efficacy, empowerment, and quality of life as outcomes of the social competence intervention : parent workshop

Abstract

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Autism Spectrum Disorders are increasing in prevalence (CDC, 2014), and can cause a number of negative outcomes for caregivers who raise these children. Most of what is known about Autism treatments focus on the children who have autism, but there are limited resources for their caregivers. However, because these caregivers are also experiencing significant problems, it is important to focus on focusing on their needs as well. Although workshops are often used as a way to share information with parents, there has been limited research that shows that parents benefit from these learning opportunities. This dissertation research focuses on working with caregivers on issues their children may experience as a way to make them feel less stressed about caring for their child, feel confident in their ability to address their children's needs, feel better physically and mentally, and to feel like they can advocate on behalf of their child. Overall, the results of this dissertation research show that while some parents may experience improvements in these areas, others did not. While the reasoning for the variability in response to this workshop is currently unknown, it does show that this is an area in need of more investigation in the future.