Tools for early screening of autism spectrum disorders in primary health care - a scoping review.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that manifests itself in early childhood. Early diagnosis of these disorders allows for the initiation of early therapy, which is crucial for the child's further functioning in society. OBJECTIVES: This review aims to gather and present the existing ASD screening tools that can be used in primary care and adapted to different countries conditions linguistically and culturally. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: We searched for English-language publications on ASD screening tools for children aged 0-3 years suitable for use in primary care (i.e. free, requiring no additional training or qualifications). SOURCES OF EVIDENCE: Four databases were explored to find English studies on ASD screening tools intended for the rapid assessment of children aged 0-3. CHARTING METHODS: The information sought (specific features of the questionnaires relevant to primary health care workers, psychometric and diagnostic values of a given cultural adaptation of screening tools, and the linguistic and cultural changes made) were extracted and collected to create profiles of these tools. RESULTS: We found 81 studies which met inclusion criteria and underwent full data extraction. Three additional data sources were included. These allowed to create 75 profiles of adaptations for 26 different screening tools and collect data on their psychometric values and characteristic features. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study indicate the availability of several diagnostic tools for early ASD screening in primary care setting concordant culturally and linguistically with a given population. They could be an effective method of accelerating the diagnostic process and starting personalized therapy faster. However, most tools have significant limitations - some are only available for research purposes, while others do not have scientific evidence to prove their effectiveness.

The Effect of Personality, Disability, and Family Functioning on Burnout among Mothers of Children with Autism: A Path Analysis.

This path analysis of mothers of children with autism aimed to investigate the relationship between maternal burnout and the mother's subjective reporting of difficulty in childcare, family function, and personality traits. A total of 410 mothers of children with autism (mean age 39.03, SD 7.42) completed four questionnaires: Parental Burnout Measure (PBM-12), International Personality Item Pool-Big Five Markers (IPIP-BFM-20), Flexibility and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES-IV), and a survey on childcare difficulties. Path analysis using two predetermined models was used to examine the interrelations. Both models fit the empirical data equally with a Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) index of 0.000 and a 90% confidence interval (model 1: 0.000-0.052; model 2: 0.000-0.059). Path analysis revealed similar fit indexes for both models: (a) burnout is a mediator between exogenous variables and family functioning, and (b) family functioning is an indirect mediator between exogenous variables and burnout. These findings suggest that increased maternal emotional instability (neuroticism) and conscientiousness can lead to increased family communication problems, which may further lead to a breakdown of the equilibrium in the family system, resulting in the mother's dissatisfaction with family life and a consequent increased risk of maternal burnout.

Low-Intensity Exercise as a Modifier of Depressive Symptoms and Self-Perceived Stress Level in Women with Metabolic Syndrome.

The study aims to determine the impact of low-intensity exercise and psychoeducation on depressive symptoms and self-perceived stress in women with metabolic syndrome (MetS). Seventy-four women (mean age 69.35 ± 7.20) were included in the study. Participants were divided into two groups: those with MetS (n = 33) and those without MetS (n = 41). Subjects participated in low-intensity general-fitness exercise sessions combined with psychoeducation distributed regularly over a 12-week period. Participants completed the Geriatric Depression Scale-15 (GDS) and the Stress Level Questionnaire (SLQ) before and after the intervention. All investigated parameters significantly decreased for the participants with metabolic syndrome after the intervention. The level of GDS in this group decreased by approximately 37% (p < 0.01), and SLQ by around 23% (p < 0.01). Our results suggest, that low-intensity exercise combined with psychoeducation could lower depressive symptoms and stress level in women with MetS. However, the intervention does not lower anthropometric parameter scores.

Validation of the Polish version of the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA).

This study examined the factorial structure of the Polish version of the Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA-PL) and its relation with other variables, previously shown to be antecedents or outcomes of parental burnout. The PBA-PL was administered to a total sample of 2,130 parents along with other instruments depending on the study. Factorial analyses of the PBA-PL supported both the original four-factor model of parental burnout (exhaustion related to parenting, feelings of being fed up with parenting, emotional distancing from one's children, and contrast with previous parental self) and a second-order model with a global parental burnout underlying the four first-order factors. Both subscale and global scores were reliable. Significant correlations were found between PBA-PL and neuroticism, emotional intelligence, maladaptive perfectionism, perceived social support, depressive symptoms, marital satisfaction, and life satisfaction. PBA-PL also predicted both parental neglect and parental violence beyond socio-demographic factors, depression, and job burnout.