Mental Health and Well-Being in Children with Autism during the COVID-19 Pandemic

• In Event: Risk and Resiliency in Child and Adolescent Mental Health During COVID-19

Abstract

Background: Rapid-response studies have documented that Canadian children are adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic: 57% of Canadian participants (15-17 years) had worsened overall mental health; 29% of households struggled to meet financial obligations; and 15% of households experienced food insecurity (Raising Canada, 2020). Prior to COVID-19, suicide was the second leading cause of death for youth (15-24 years), and now is the leading cause of death for Canadian children (10-14 years; Raising Canada, 2020). These harsh realities pose an even greater threat to the well-being of already vulnerable children with neurodevelopmental disabilities, including autism.

Before the pandemic, it was well-established that children with autism, compared to their non-autistic peers, were at heightened risk to experience mental health issues (Gordon-Lipkin et al., 2018). Similarly, caregivers of autistic individuals experience higher rates of stress and anxiety (Li et al., 2018). Now, children with autism and their families may be disproportionally impacted by distancing restrictions due to their pre-existing vulnerabilities and pandemic-related stressors. Specifically, children with autism may show changes in autism-related and social-emotional symptoms due to disrupted routines and mounting pressures within their household, while simultaneously losing support services. In order to develop appropriately tailored supports, how children with autism are coping during the pandemic must be understood. Thus, the aims of this study are: 1) describe the overall well-being of children with autism prior to and during the pandemic; and 2) determine what factors might be contributing to negative changes in well-being.

Guided by a developmental-ecological perspective (Belsky, 1993), we hypothesized that a child’s well-being will be associated with characteristics of the child (i.e., autism severity, co-occurring diagnoses), the caregiver (i.e., perceived stress, resilient coping), and the environment (i.e., household disruption [e.g., financial hardship, difficulty finding childcare], and loss of services).

Method: 625 caregivers of Canadian children with autism (age 1-10 years, M age = 8.6 years, SD = 4.2) completed an online questionnaire between June and July 2020. Respondents provided demographic information and ratings of household disruption (e.g., financial hardship) and changes in autism-specific and social-emotional symptoms (e.g., more behaviour problems). Child’s current and previous mental health was measured using a sliding scale (0 = very poor, 50 = fair, 100 = excellent). Caregivers completed measures of perceived stress (PSS-10; Lee, 2012) and resilient coping (BRCS; Sinclair & Wallston, 2004).

Data Analytic Plan: Within-group differences will be conducted to describe child well-being (i.e., caregiver rating of child’s mental health) prior to and during the pandemic (Aim 1). Descriptive statistics will be used to describe changes in autism and social-emotional symptoms (e.g., repetitive behaviours, special interests, anxiety, mood). Bivariate correlation and multivariate regression analyses will be utilized to determine what child, caregiver, and environmental characteristics are potential risk factors for poorer well-being (Aim 2).

Implications. Findings will contribute to an understanding of symptomology and well-being in children with autism during the pandemic, which is currently unknown in the literature. These insights will inform interventions to improve quality of life for these especially vulnerable individuals.

Authors

• Kailyn M Turner, University of Calgary (U of C)
  Presenting Author

• Stephanie J Howe, University of Calgary (U of C)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Connor M Kerns, University of British Columbia
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jonathan A Weiss, York University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Carly A McMorris, University of Calgary (U of C)
  Non-Presenting Author