Evaluation of the relationship between the clinic of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and the chronotype characteristics of their parents

In this study, the relationship between the severity of autism symptoms in children diagnosed with autism and the sleep quality and chronotype characteristics of their parents was investigated. The study included cases with autism diagnosis followed up or newly diagnosed with autism at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health and Diseases Department of the Akdeniz University Faculty of Medicine Hospital between July 2022 and January 2023, as well as their parents. The autism diagnosis of the cases was made according to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. A socio-demographic data form was used to determine the socio-demographic characteristics of children with autism, and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale and Autism Behavior Checklist were used to evaluate the severity of autism symptoms. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was used to assess parents' sleep quality, and the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) was used to assess chronotype characteristics. In this study, 88 mothers and 83 fathers completed the MEQ scale. According to the evaluation made using the MEQ scale, the distribution of mothers according to their chronotype characteristics is as follows: 4.5% were close to the evening type, 52.3% were intermediate type, 39.8% were close to the morning type and 3.4% were definitely morning types. In contrast, the distribution of fathers according to their chronotype characteristics is as follows: 1.2% were definitely evening types, 3.6% were close to the evening type, 59% were intermediate type, 31.3% were close to the morning type and 4.8% were definitely morning types. It was found that fathers of children with a history of neonatal intensive care unit and sleep problems had lower sleep quality, while mothers slept better when the severity of autism symptoms decreased (P<0.05). It was also found that mothers of children who regularly use medication for autism had increased sleep medication use (P<0.01). As the severity of autism symptoms increased, the chronotype characteristics of parents shifted towards the evening type (P<0.05). It was determined that as the severity of autism symptoms increased, parents' sleep quality decreased, and mothers' sleep quality was more affected. In conclusion, this study makes significant contributions to the literature as the first study evaluating the sleep quality and chronotype characteristics of parents of children with autism. The study suggests that improving parents' sleep quality can reduce autism symptoms, and reducing symptoms can improve parents' sleep quality. In addition, it is noted that the severity of symptoms in autistic children can lead to various health problems by shifting parents' chronotype characteristics towards the evening type. Therefore, starting treatment to reduce the symptoms of autistic children can positively affect the sleep and quality of life of mothers, in particular.