Awareness about potential abuse among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the abuse awareness level and related characteristics of parents with children aged 4-6 years diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Methods: A total of 74 parents of children with ASD who presented at a university or an educational research hospital, or with children enrolled at 2 special education rehabilitation centers in January 2019–March 2020 were included in the study. The data were collected in face-to-face interviews using a family information form and the Abuse Awareness Scale for Parents. The analysis included t-test comparison of independent groups, calculation of number and percent-age distribution, and analysis of variance. Ethics committee and institutional approval, as well as permission from the creator of the scale, were obtained and the parents provided informed consent. Results: The scale scores indicated that the parents' awareness of abuse was high. Of the parents participating in the study, 92.40% were mothers. The mean scale score was 66.114±4.418. Parents identified the following factors most often as a source of risk: substance abuse of an abuser (92.00%), the parents’ lack of information about abuse (88.50%), and the gender of the child (82.20%). They saw strangers (93.60%) as somewhat more threatening than known individuals (90.50%), and indicated that they thought abuse was more likely to occur on the street/in the community (79.60%) than in educational institutions (69.70%). Professionals they deemed most important in the prevention of abuse were the police (81.20%) and psychologists (80.40%); other health professionals received little to no mention. Parents indicated that if they suspected abuse, the most common sources of redress would be prosecutors (94.30%) and the police (92.30%). Conclusion: Although the awareness level of potential abuse of their children was high, the parents interviewed felt that they lacked sufficient information about abuse. It is noteworthy that the parents did not consider healthcare professionals other than psychologists as having a meaningful role in the prevention of abuse. Training and counseling about the prevention of abuse for parents of children with special needs provided by pediatric and community mental health nurses could help raise awareness and knowledge of the community resources available to parents, as well as supplement a sense of caring and security. © 2021 by Journal of Psychiatric Nursing