Department of Health and Clinical Psychology, School of Health in Social Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK, EH8 9AG.
Division of Psychology, University of West of Scotland, Paisley, Scotland, UK, PA1 2BE.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2023 Apr;53(4):1573-1587. doi: 10.1007/s10803-021-05132-3. Epub 2021 Jul 20.
Caregivers of a child with a neurodevelopmental disability are more vulnerable to mental health difficulties. These difficulties are influenced by the child's challenging behaviours, and the caregiver's coping strategies; factors impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. An online mixed methods survey was conducted on caregivers of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (n = 43) and children who are typically developing (n = 67). The results showed that presence of challenging behaviours related to neurodevelopmental disability, and caregiver coping strategies predicted caregiver psychological distress during lockdown. Themes that emerged included 'confusing messages and guidance', 'loss of freedom' and 'unsupported and forgotten'. The results demonstrate the pressing need for the implementation of appropriate support to protect the mental health of caregivers across the UK.
照顾有神经发育障碍儿童的人更容易出现心理健康问题。这些困难受到儿童挑战性行为和照顾者应对策略的影响，而这些因素又受到 COVID-19 大流行的影响。对有神经发育障碍儿童的照顾者（n=43）和发育正常儿童的照顾者（n=67）进行了在线混合方法调查。结果表明，存在与神经发育障碍相关的挑战性行为，以及照顾者的应对策略，预测了封锁期间照顾者的心理困扰。出现的主题包括“令人困惑的信息和指导”、“失去自由”和“得不到支持和被遗忘”。结果表明，迫切需要在英国实施适当的支持，以保护照顾者的心理健康。
