Influence of aberrant behaviors on the mental health of caregivers for patients with pervasive developmen-tal disorders / 中国神经精神疾病杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To investigate the influence of hyperactivity, Stereotyped behaviors , self-injury and irritabili?ty on parenting stress and emotions of the caregivers for patients with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). Methods Abnormal behaviors during last month were assessed in 138 PDDs patients by using Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) and Conners Index of Hyperactivity (CIH). The parenting stress and the emotional state of the patients’parents were evalu?ated by the Caregiver Strain Questionnaire (CGSQ) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), respectively. Re?sults Anxiety, depression and combination of anxiety and depression were present in 6.2%, 17.8%and 29.5%of PDDs caregivers, respectively. The partial correlation analysis showed that CGSQ score of patients’parents positively correlated with CIH score (r=0.201, P=0.023) and stereotyped act (r=0.189, P=0.033) of the patients, and negatively correlated with stereotyped speech (r=-0.219, P=0.013). The anxious mood of parents positively correlated with stereotyped act (r=0.206, P=0.021). Conclusions Anxiety and depression are common in caregivers of PDDs. Except for stereotyped speech, aber?rant behaviors of the PDDs increase parenting stress and worsen anxious mood of caregivers.