A Virtual Resiliency Intervention for Parents of Children with Autism: A Randomized Pilot Trial.
Karen A Kuhlthau, Christina M Luberto, Lara Traeger and 6 others
PMID 30900195WHAT IT FOUND
In parents of children with autism, a virtual resiliency program did not clearly reduce distress, but improved coping and resiliency compared with parents waiting.
This was only a pilot.
Key findings
01Compared with parents waiting for the intervention, the immediate virtual SMART-3RP group showed greater improvement in resiliency and stress coping/reactivity, and the difference was medium in size, but distress improvement was small and not statistically significant.
02The pilot reached 51 parents at baseline; 42 of 51 (82.4%) completed the 3-month survey, and 65% completed at least 6 sessions.
03Secondary outcomes showed greater improvements relative to the wait-list group for depression/anxiety, social support, and mindfulness, with differences medium to large in size; worry, positive affect, and empathy did not reach significance.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was a pilot and was too small to reliably detect changes in all measures. The sample was relatively well-educated and less racially and ethnically diverse than the general population of parents of children with ASD. Parents did not need to have high stress at baseline to join, so the results may not apply to parents seeking help for severe distress. Attrition was meaningful: 13 enrollees withdrew before baseline, and only 34 of 51 completed the 6-month survey. The immediate and delayed groups differed slightly in race, and these differences involved a small number of people. The maintenance analysis used only 17 participants. The primary distress outcome was not significant, and many outcomes were tested, with the authors noting that future studies need adjustment for multiple comparisons.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that this program reduces distress in parents of children with autism. The distress improvement was small and not statistically significant, and the study was a pilot with a small sample.