Severidad de autismo en hijos menores de 12 años y niveles de depresión y estrés parental. Riobamba. Ecuador. 2019

Abstract

Parental stress is enhanced according to the magnitude of the problem that their children with autism manifest, be they physical or psychological, and the time they last, the present investigation aims to determine the relationship between the severity of autism in children under 12 years old and levels of depression and stress of their mothers and fathers, the study was carried out in a sample of 31 caregivers of people with Autism from the Riobamba canton, Chimborazo province. The research is descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional and non-experimental, it lasted 10 months, starting in October 2018. The research techniques were a sociodemographic - socioeconomic survey and the scales of the autism assessment scale (CARS), inventory for Beck depression and Parental Stress Index Brief Form (PSI/SF). Among the main results, a high number of mothers responsible for the care of their children stands out, with a higher level of education or third level and economic income above the basic salary in their majority, all children under 12 years of age have Autism, the majority have mild autism, all mothers / fathers have a medium level of stress. Finally, it is concluded that there is a relationship between the level of autism presented by children under 12 years of age with respect to the level of stress of their mothers/fathers, which does not occur with respect to the level of depression; Therefore, the importance of formulating psychological care guidelines and promoting social support networks is highlighted.