Digital Health Interventions Targeting Psychological Health in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex, incurable condition requiring lifelong care, often placing significant psychological strain on parents and emerging as a public health concern. While various interventions exist to enhance the psychological health of parents, the role of digital health interventions (DHIs) in this context remains underexplored.

OBJECTIVE

This scoping review aims to systematically assess the availability of DHIs targeting the psychological health of parents of children with ASD and evaluate the effectiveness of these interventions in improving parental psychological health.

METHODS

The review will include English-language studies published from inception to June 25, 2024, focusing on DHIs aimed at improving the psychological health of parents of children with ASD. Eligible studies will involve parents of children with ASD less than the age of 18 years, across various settings, and assess psychological health outcomes. A comprehensive search will be conducted across six databases: (1) CINAHL, (2) Ovid EMBASE, (3) Ovid Global Health, (4) Ovid MEDLINE, (5) Ovid PsycINFO, and (6) Web of Science. Studies will be screened and selected based on predefined eligibility criteria. Data extraction will include publication details, study design, participants' characteristics, intervention specifics, comparisons, psychological outcomes, and key findings. Results will be synthesized using descriptive statistics, charts, and narrative analysis.

RESULTS

The initial keyword-based search, completed in June 2024, identified 5825 records, which were subsequently screened and analyzed. Screening and evidence synthesis were finalized in winter 2024, and the completed scoping review was submitted in December 2024.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will provide a comprehensive overview of commonly used DHIs for supporting the psychological health of parents of children with ASD and their effectiveness. The findings will help identify research gaps, inform future studies and funding priorities, and contribute to the development of practice guidelines to enhance parental psychological health.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/68677.