The effect of mealtime behaviors of autistic children on parental burnout

Eating behavior in children with autism has many effects on families and children. Behavioral disorders during eating can slow down the development of the child, be life-threatening, and have negative effects on parents. This research was conducted to examine the effect of mealtime behaviors of children with autistic disorders on parental burnout. This cross-sectional study included parents of 151 children with autism who met the inclusion criteria. The population of the study consisted of the parents of children with autism who were educated in institutions affiliated with the Denizli Provincial Directorate of National Education in Merkezefendi and Pamukkale Districts of Denizli Province. Data collection tools included a "Parents Descriptive Information Form," the "Brief Autism Mealtime Behavior Inventory (BAMBI)," and the "Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA)." Data were analyzed on the SPSS 24.0 software package. The significance level was accepted as p<0.05. At the outset, the approval of the Pamukkale University Non-Interventional Research Ethics Committee and Denizli Governorship Provincial Directorate of National Education was obtained. It was determined that children with autistic disorders had problematic mealtime behaviors, fathers reported more problems than mothers, children of parents with fewer children had more problematic mealtime behaviors, the severity of mealtime behavior increased in younger children, and that children with autism who refused breast milk in infancy had problematic mealtime behavior in later years. The burnout levels were higher in fathers than in mothers, and non-working fathers had higher levels of burnout. It was determined that parents' burnout levels increased as the number of their children increased, the age of the child with autism decreased, and the child's autism level increased. A significant difference was found between the number of daily main meals of children and parental burnout. In conclusion, it was found that as the problematic mealtime behavior of children with autistic disorders increased, the burnout levels of the parents increased, as well.