P01-310 - Predictors of mental health distress in mothers with autism children

Introduction Taking care of a child with Autism has been shown to place a significant burden on the caregiver's, especially mothers (Khodabakhshi Kooalee, 2008). Objectives Propose of this study is to identify mental health distress in mothers with Autism children. Methods 50 mothers who had a child with Autism (APA, 2002) and 50 mothers who had not a child with Autism (control healthy group) selected in present study. A total 100 mothers were answered General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) Persian version. The mean of age of children was 10.50 years old. Results The results indicated health -related distress (GHQ) was markedly increased in comparison to healthy controls. Mothers with Autism children reported high level of depression and Anxiety disorder than healthy group. Also, 66% of mothers reports very low level social function. Conclusion According to the results, mothers with Autistic Children experiences high level of stress and mental health problems. It is noteworthy to noted, the psycho-educational family, social network and supportive psychotherapy are offer to these mothers and other member of family.