Research on Respite Care on Mental Health of Elderly Autistic Patients'Parents
Zhang Lei
Abstract：Objective:To investigate mental health of elderly autistic patients'parents,and influence of respite care on mental health.Methods:Sixty family members of individuals with autism aged 18 and above were selected,comprising 30 male and 30 female family members,and were provided with respite care services.The Symptom Checklist-90(SCL-90)was used to assess their mental health status before and after the respite care services.Results:The total scores of fathers and mothers before and after the respite service showed statistically significant differences(P＜0.05).Fathers scored significantly higher in four dimensions including obsessive-compulsive symptoms,depression,anxiety,and paranoia before the respite service compared to after,with all differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05).Mothers scored significantly higher in eight dimensions including obsessive-compulsive symptoms,interpersonal sensitivity,depression,anxiety,hostility,paranoia,psychopathy,and sleep/meal disturbances before the respite service compared to after,with all differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05).Before the respite service,mothers scored higher than fathers in three factors of interpersonal sensitivity,anxiety,and psychopathy,with all differences being statistically significant(P＜0.05).Conclusion:In the process of taking care of elderly autistic patients,the mother was easier than the father to have psychological problems.To a certain extent,respite care could alleviate psychological problems among patients'parents.
Keywords：Respite careElderly autistic patientParentsMental health
Publication Date：2026-02-25
Online Publishing Date：2026-03-16(First online date of this platform, not the publication date of the document)
Pages：3( 422-424 )