Feasibility and acceptability of parenting interventions delivered in Spanish to caregivers of children with autism and other developmental delays: A mixed-methods design

ABSTRACT

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or developmental delay (DD) experience increased stress due to raising a child with a disability, particularly if the child also presents with challenging behaviors. As such, there is benefit to developing evidence-based interventions that 1) help parents cope with stress, and 2) manage the challenging behaviors of their children. This is particularly true for underserved groups, including Spanish-speaking Hispanic/Latinx populations, who are often underrepresented in intervention research. Two promising interventions in reducing caregiver stress are psychoeducation/support groups and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR);an intervention effective in reducing child challenging behaviors is Behavioral Parent Training (BPT). This study piloted these three interventions for 60 Spanish-speaking Hispanic caregivers of children with ASD or DD as part of a larger, randomized-controlled trial. We sought to examine the feasibility and acceptability of these interventions both within this Spanish-speaking cohort, and compared to previously run English-speaking cohorts. Additionally, due to unforeseen circumstances of COVID-19, the BPT intervention was modified for telehealth delivery, allowing for initial exploration of the modality for this population. Results from attendance and satisfaction data, as well as participant focus groups, showed that Spanish-speaking participants attended sessions at similar rates and demonstrated preference for psychoeducation/support groups over MBSR compared to English-speaking participants, while finding BPT strategies generally acceptable. Participants reported appreciating the knowledge gained and sense of community established in the psychoeducation/support groups. Implications and future directions, including potential cultural adaptation of materials to maximize participant engagement and buy-in, are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)