Parent focused interventions for older children or adults with ASD and parent wellbeing outcomes: A systematic review with meta-analysis

Background: There is a need for better evidence in relation to parent-focussed interventions for older children (over 7 years) and adults, which are recommended in clinical guidelines. Method: We conducted a systematic review of studies published between 2006 and 2016 investigating wellbeing outcomes of ASD parent focussed interventions via a search of electronic databases including MEDLINE, PsychINFO, CINAHL and the Cochrane database. Results: We screened 9605 titles, 57 full text articles and abstracts were read. Two were systematic reviews and 22 experimental intervention studies were included for review. Of these, five were Randomised Controlled Trials, three Controlled Trials and 14 Cohort studies. Interventions were: Parent education and training (n = 12); Mindfulness or relaxation training (n = 6), Parent support groups (n = 2) and Multicomponent interventions (n = 2). Studies reported five wellbeing outcomes: quality of life, parent stress, self-efficacy, parenting style and satisfaction. Separate meta-analyses compared each outcome, to test and estimate the summary effect shared by studies reporting each intervention. Statistically significant outcomes were obtained for reducing parent stress via mindfulness training and for improving parent style and satisfaction, through parent education. Conclusions: Analyses of a small number of studies indicate that parent focussed interventions could be effective in improving parent wellbeing, however further research is needed to determine optimal parent intervention models.