Prevalence of depression in mothers of children having ASD

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a pervasive developmental disorder that impairs a child's communication and social interaction and causes the development of stereotypic or repetitive behaviours or interests. To find out the prevalence of depression in mothers of children with ASD. A descriptive, cross-sectional study design was chosen for the study. Convenience sampling method was used to enrol 125 mothers of children with ASD from Autism clinic, Department of Paediatrics, AIIMS, New Delhi from June to November 2013. Data regarding socio-demographic details, health history profile and selected variables of the mothers was collected using a structured questionnaire. Inventory of depressive symptomatology (IDS-SR30), a standardised, structured inventory which contained 30 items was used to assess the depressive symptoms in the mothers. Over three-quarters (76.8%) of the mothers reported depression. Levels of depression in the mothers were significantly associated with their physical health and quality of life. Mothers of children with severe autism (44.8%) had higher levels of depression than those with mild (25.6%) and moderate (29.6%) degrees of autism. Mothers of children with ASD need to be screened for the presence of clinical depression and given social support, psycho-education and appropriate referral so that correct treatment can be started at the earliest; thus the mothers would be able to manage their life situations in a better way and to cope with the behavioural and social impairments of their child.