The effect of family empowerment program following a child’s diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, Yuwaprasart Waithayopathum hospital
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64838/jmht.2025.273019Keywords:
autism spectrum disorder, empowerment, family caregiverAbstract
Objective: To assess the effect of family empowerment program after a preschool child’s diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial with a two-group pretest-posttest design, conducted in outpatient department of Yuwaprasart Waithayopathum hospital. Participants were family caregivers of preschool children newly diagnosed with ASD. The experimental group received a six-week family empowerment program, conducted once a week, while the control group received only standard nursing care, including individual counseling, psychoeducation, and parenting skills training. Empowerment was assessed pre- and post-intervention using an empowerment assessment scale. Differences in means scores were analyzed using t-tests.
Results: A total of 32 participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental (n = 16) or control group (n = 16). Participants were predominantly female and mothers, with a mean age of 31.5 ± 7.73 years. Their children were mostly male, with a first diagnosis occurring at the age of 3 - 4 years. There were no significant differences in baseline characteristics or pretest empowerment scores between the experimental (65.38 ± 4.23) and control groups (66.00 ± 3.71). After the intervention, the mean empowerment score of the experimental group (87.31 ± 4.57) was significantly higher than that of the control group (70.56 ± 3.20). Within the experimental group, the mean empowerment score showed a statistically significant increase when comparing pre- and post-intervention.
Conclusion: The family empowerment program effectively increases caregivers’ empowerment in caring for their children following an ASD diagnosis, suggesting its potential benefit in supporting families during this challenging time.
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