Comparison of autism spectrum characteristics and symptom aspects between mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder and mothers of children with intellectual disabilities

The mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disabilities attending a special education institution on the Anatolian side of Istanbul were included in this study. The aim of the study was to compare mothers of children with ASD and mothers of children with intellectual disabilities in terms of autism spectrum and depression symptoms. The long-term aim of the thesis is to contribute to the literature to elucidate the genetic etiology of autism spectrum disorder The aim of this study was to compare subthreshold autism symptoms and depression symptoms of mothers of children with autism and mothers of children with intellectual disabilities. We chose to work with mothers since it is the mother who is the caregiver of the child and spends more time with the child. In this study, a personal information form and depression scale were administered to find out the characteristics of the mothers such as living conditions, number of children, social support or financial status and their effects on maternal depression. An autism questionnaire was also administered to find out the symptoms of subthreshold autism. The sample of the study, which was conducted according to the cross-sectional research model, consisted of 150 mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability. Personal Information Form, Beck Depression Scale, Autism Questionnaire (OSA) were used as data collection tools. It was thought that mothers of children with autism may have subthreshold autism symptoms and may also have depression symptoms, and mothers of children with intellectual disabilities were selected as the control group. In order to distinguish between certain features of autism and depression, a depression scale was administered to the mothers. The data collected in this study were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 27 software. In order to examine the linear relationships between continuous variables, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, which is frequently preferred when parametric conditions are met, was applied. Independent Sample t-test was used to test whether there was a significant difference in the scale scores of the participants in terms of demographic variables (e.g. gender, education level, income level). This test is an appropriate analysis method to determine whether the mean differences between two independent groups are statistically significant (Pallant, 2020).In addition, the Chi-square test (χ²) was used to compare categorical variables. All analyses were based on 95% confidence level and the statistical significance limit was accepted as p < .05. In the study, a relationship was observed between the autism symptoms of the mothers and their children's autism diagnosis In the study, a correlation was observed between having children diagnosed with autism and mothers' autism symptoms. There was a correlation between mothers' depression symptoms and their children's diagnosis of intellectual disability. A significant difference was observed in terms of education level. While the educational level of mothers of children with intellectual disability was lower, the educational level of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder was higher. No difference was observed between mothers in terms of disability level of the child, age at diagnosis, financial status, marital status, number of children, and spousal support. Keywords: Autism, Mental Disability, Depression