Abstract
This study investigated the mental health of mothers according to behavioral changes of their autistic children who start receiving education and training, and investigated the mental health effects on mothers based on their own and their children's attributes. This longitudinal study conducted the first survey when an autistic child started receiving education and training, with subsequent surveys conducted at three months, six months, and nine months. The first survey assessed 32 mothers with autistic children, but 18 mothers participated in the final survey. The 18 mothers were divided into an improved group (n=11) and an unimproved group (n=7) based the children's symptoms. The mental health (positive or negative affect of WHO SUBI: Subjective Well-Being Inventory) of mothers was not influenced by behavioral changes of the autistic children. Mothers who increased subscale "Transcendence" by children with autism began receiving education and training. Furthermore, mothers exhibited increased subscale "Primary group concern" and "General well-being-negative affect" by improvement of the autistic children's symptoms. Nevertheless, no improvement was found in symptoms of children with autism. These findings suggest the importance of various social support measures to provide time for the mother to establish roles of self and others within the family and in the community, and to establish the particular role of a mother with an autistic child.
