Comparative analysis between the mental health of responsible for people with ASD and for children without ASD in the COVID-19 pandemic
Clarisse Pereira Dias Drumond Fortes, Fernanda Muniz Vieira, Laís Ceschini Machado
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To compare the quality of mental health of those responsible for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those responsible for people up to 12 years old without autism during the COVID-19 pandemic, with regard to symptoms of different levels of depression, anxiety, and stress and find associations between these levels with psychosocial and economic variables. METHODS: It was a cross-sectional, observational, and quantitative study, which analyzed an online form with the DASS-21 scale and with questions regarding the psychosocial and economic characterization of residents of the municipalities in the south of the state of Rio de Janeiro during the COVID-19 pandemic. The disclosure took place through social networks and the data obtained were tabulated using Microsoft Excel 2016 software. RESULTS: 77 people participated in the study, divided into 2 groups: group A, of those responsible for people with ASD, totaled 30 people and group B, of those responsible for children without ASD up to 12 years old, 47 people. From group A, 60% had symptoms of depression, 76.67% with symptoms of anxiety, and 80% with symptoms of stress. In group B, 44.68% had symptoms of depression, 46.81% with symptoms of anxiety, and 70.21% with symptoms of stress. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this research address the need for interventions to prevent these disorders and the psychological support of this population, with the inclusion of the family nucleus in the therapeutic planning of people with autism and assistance in the development of crisis coping strategies, as in the current scenario.