Open Collections

Chan, Siu Man Bella

University of British Columbia

Preadolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entering adolescence face emotional challenges that lead to heightened stress. Parents of children with ASD report lower mental health and quality of life overall. Growing evidence suggests that mindfulness-based programs and self-compassion programs are effective in improving psychological wellbeing. Thus, training in mindfulness and self-compassion may offer preadolescents with ASD and their parents a coping mechanism to counter stress and improve mental wellbeing. MYmind is a mindfulness-based program developed for adolescents with ASD and their parents. The study examined the feasibility and social validity of an adapted version of the MYmind program that includes a self-compassion component for preadolescents with ASD and their parents. Three parent-child dyads participated in ten weekly concurrent sessions. Seven dimensions of feasibility were measured: (a) acceptability; (b) demand; (c) implementation; (c) practicality; (d) adaptation; (e) integration; and (f) preliminary efficacy. For preliminary efficacy, a quasi-experimental group design across preintervention, postintervention and follow-up phases was employed to examine the association between implementation of the adapted MYmind program and improvements in preadolescents’ mindfulness, self-compassion, emotion regulation, and behavioural functioning, and parents’ mindfulness, self-compassion, parental stress, and quality of life. A descriptive, single subject time series design was employed to examine changes in individual preadolescent and parent outcomes across phases. Across the first six dimensions of feasibility, results indicated that the program was moderately to highly feasible for parents but modestly to moderately feasible for preadolescents. Group design results showed that the adapted MYmind program was associated with significant improvements in preadolescents’ internalizing behaviours, and parents’ mindfulness and parental stress. These results maintained at follow-up. Group design results did not yield significant improvements in preadolescents’ mindfulness, self-compassion, and emotion regulation, and parents’ self-compassion and quality of life. Descriptive, time series design results for individual preadolescents and parents largely mirrored statistical findings. Lastly, parents viewed the program as socially valid at postintervention and follow-up, while preadolescents viewed the program as socially valid at postintervention but less so at follow-up. Study results are discussed in regard to: (a) relation to previous MYmind studies; (b) unique contributions; (c) implications; (d) limitations, and (e) future research.

Text

2024-08-27

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

http://hdl.handle.net/2429/89035

Special Education

University of British Columbia

UBCV

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/