Expressed Emotions and Parent’s Attitudes Toward their Children with Autism

Karem Mahmoud, Hend; Abdel-Hamid Zaki,, Rania; Sayed Mohammed, Hoda

doi:10.21608/ejhc.2020.216676

Expressed Emotions and Parent’s Attitudes Toward their Children with Autism

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

¹ Demonstrator, Faculty of Nursing Ain Shams University

² Assistant Professor, Faculty of Nursing Ain Shams University

³ lecturer of (Psychiatric/Mental Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing Ain Shams University).

10.21608/ejhc.2020.216676

Abstract

Background: Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder represents an extraordinary challenge
to parents of children with autism, thus, they continue to have high levels of stress and burden
which consequently affect their expressed emotion and attitude toward their children. Aim: This
study aimed to assess the expressed emotions and parents’ attitudes toward their children with
autism. Design: A descriptive explanatory research design was utilized in this study. Setting: This
study was carried out in the outpatient clinic of the Institute of Psychiatry affiliated with Ain Shams
University. Subjects: This study was conducted on 100 parents of children diagnosed with autism
spectrum disorder. Sample type: Purposive sample was recruited for this study. Data collection
tools: Data were obtained through three tools; 1) Interviewing Questionnaire to assess socio-
demographic data of children with autism and their parents, 2) The expressed emotions
Questionnaire and 3) The family attitude scale. Results: The majority (81%) of the studied parents
had high levels of expressed emotions, and only less than one fifth (18%) of them had low levels of
expressed emotions and nearly three quarters (72%) of them had a negative attitude toward their
children with autism. Conclusions: The total levels of expressed emotions among most of the
parents of children with autism under study were high and the most affected component of EE is
over-involvement followed by hostility and criticism. Nearly three-quarters of them had negative
attitudes toward their children with autism. Also, this study concluded that there is a high
correlation between levels of expressed emotions and attitude of the studied parents of children with
autism. Recommendations: Utilization of our study results in designing and implementing
counseling programs for parents of children with
autism to change their attitudes and manage their
expressed emotions

Keywords