Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
THE 9th International ESTD Congress, Katowice, Polonya, 10 - 12 Ekim 2024, ss.1, (Özet Bildiri)
Introduction: Having a child with autism spectrum disorder can be a challenging and even dissociating life experience for parents. Aim: The primary goal of this study is to investigate the relationships between childhood traumas and dissociative experiences, depression levels, and parental self-efficacy perceptions of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: The current quantitative and descriptive research employs a relational survey design. Participants: The study sample included 95 parents, with 55 mothers and 40 fathers, whose children have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and attend special education practice schools and rehabilitation centers affiliated with the Adıyaman Provincial Directorate of National Education. Participants were recruited through the purposive sampling method. The study's inclusion criteria required participants to have a child diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and live in Adıyaman. On the other hand, the exclusion criteria involved having a psychiatric disorder or a physical illness that would prevent participation in the study. The implementation of this study was accomplished through in-person interviews with parents between March 2023 and September 2023. Data: Data were collected using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Parental Self Efficacy Scale in Parents whose Children were Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Analysis: In this study, childhood traumas were included in the statistical analyses as independent variables and depression, dissociative experiences, and parental self efficacy as dependent variables. An independent sample t-test was used to compare the parents in our study in terms of basic variables. Multiple regression analysis was used to predict the effect of childhood traumas on dissociative experiences, depression, and the perception of efficacy in parents with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Findings: There was no significant difference in the total scores of the Beck Depression Inventory, Dissociative Experiences Scale, and Parental Self Efficacy Scale among parents whose children were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, regardless of the severity of their children's autism. Parents who scored 25 or higher on the Dissociative Experiences Scale reported a greater frequency of physical neglect and sexual abuse. The study revealed that childhood traumas contributed to 14% of the variation in dissociative experiences, and physical neglect was found to be a predictor of dissociative experiences in parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Furthermore, it was found that the childhood traumas experienced by parents contributed to 15% of the variance in the depression levels reported by the participants and 16% of the variance in their levels of parental self efficacy. Conclusions: Parents with children diagnosed with childhood traumas and autism spectrum disorder should receive psychotherapeutic help and adopt parenting styles that help their children's ability to deal with the symptoms of autism.