Self-reported psychological disorders among the mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder, type 1 diabetes mellitus, and typically developed children

Background To assess the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), type 1 diabetes (DM), and typical development (TD), in a geographical area where such data are lacking Method A descriptive study with the three groups of parents of children with and without a condition was conducted (ASD n=126, group 1; DM n=43, group 2; and TD n= 116, comparative group). Measures of depression, anxiety, and stress were collected to examine the prevalence of factors, difference between groups, and their association with demographic characteristics. Results On the DASS-21, both groups 1 and 2 had higher mean scores for depression (37.86), anxiety (4.58), and stress (29.81) than the control group (P=0.015). On the PSS-14, the mean score was higher in group 2 (28.63) than in group 1 (27.61) and the comparison group (25.87) (P=0.004). On the DASS 21, group 1 scored higher in the depression domain (P=0.046), whereas group 2 scored higher in the anxiety domain (P=0.034) and stress domain (P=0.009) than the TD group. Conclusion Mothers of children with ASD should be assessed for the presence of depression following diagnosis. Mothers of children with type 1 diabetes require careful monitoring for the effects of anxiety and stress on their mental health and therefore their ability to cope with diabetes management plans.