Effects of Psychological Disorders and Parental Stress on Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Digestive Problems in the Period of 2019-2020

Abstract

Background:

The parents of children with autism spectrum disorder have special challenges and problems with their children’s disorder, so they have more stress in parenting than other parents, also having psychological disorders is very common in these parents. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of psychological disorders and parental stress on children with autism spectrum disorder and digestive problems.

Materials and Methods:

This study was a descriptive-analytical one with a correlation method. Based on the purpose of the study, the statistical population was all parents with children with autism spectrum disorder who were referred to special need schools in Isfahan. 30 participants were chosen using the available sampling method. In this study, SPSS version 22 was used to analyze the data.

Results :

The results showed that parental stress had no significant effect on gastrointestinal disorders in children with autism and the results showed a positive and significant effect of parental psychological disorders on the severity of gastrointestinal disorders in children with autism. The results showed the effect of psychological disorders of parents that need to be considered as an effective factor in the treatment process of this disease.

Conclusion:

Factors may contribute to gastrointestinal problems in autistic children, including a variety of gastrointestinal bacteria and gene expression patterns, as well as inadequate dietary fiber, which acts as a natural anti-constipation agent.