Home-quarantine during the initial Covid-19 outbreak in Israel: parent perceived impact on children with ASD
Ayelet Arazi,
Judah Koller,
Ditza A. Zachor,
Ofer Golan,
Yair Sadaka,
Dganit Eytan,
Orit Stolar,
Naama Atzaba-Poria,
Hava Golan,
Idan Menashe,
Gal Meiri,
Lidia V. Gabis,
Ilan Dinstein
Affiliations
Ayelet Arazi
Department of Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
Judah Koller
Seymour Fox School of Education, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
Ditza A. Zachor
Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; The Autism Center/ALUT, Shamir (Assaf Harofeh) Medical Center, Israel
Ofer Golan
Autism Treatment and Research Center – Association for Children at Risk, Ramat Gan, Israel; Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel; Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, UK
Yair Sadaka
Neuro-Developmental Research Centre, Beer Sheva Mental Health Centre, Ministry of Health, Beer Sheva, Israel
Dganit Eytan
ALUT – The Israeli Society for Children and Adults with Autism, Ramat Gan, Israel; School of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel
Orit Stolar
The Autism Center/ALUT, Shamir (Assaf Harofeh) Medical Center, Israel
Naama Atzaba-Poria
Department of Psychology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; Pre-School Psychiatry Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel; Duet Center, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
Hava Golan
Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
Idan Menashe
Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; Department of Public Health, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
Gal Meiri
Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; Pre-School Psychiatry Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel
Lidia V. Gabis
Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Child Development Services, Maccabi Healthcare, Tel Aviv, Israel
Ilan Dinstein
Department of Cognitive & Brain Sciences, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; Azrieli National Centre for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; Department of Psychology, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel; Corresponding author.
Background: Studies have reported that Covid-19 home-quarantine periods have had mostly negative psychological impact on children with ASD and their families. Here we examined parent perceived impact of a 6-week quarantine period imposed in Israel at the beginning of the Covid-19 outbreak, in mid-March 2020. Methods: An anonymous online questionnaire was completed by parents of 268 children with ASD. Parents rated deterioration/improvement in their child's behaviors, abilities, mood, sleep, and anxiety along with changes in their own mood, sleep, parenting skills, and family relationships. We performed t-tests and ANOVA analyses to assess the significance of perceived impact on each domain and potential differences in the impact across families with children of different ages, genders, and levels of required support as well as families that experienced different magnitudes of economic hardships. Results: Parents reported significant deterioration in their mood and sleep along with significant improvements in relationships with their spouse and child with ASD, and in their parenting skills. Parents also reported significant increases in the severity of tantrums, anxiety, and restricted and repetitive behavior symptoms along with significant improvements in social and communication abilities of their child with ASD. Ratings were significantly lower in families of ASD children who regularly require more support and in families that experienced economic hardships. Conclusions: While periods of home-quarantine create numerous hardships for families of children with ASD, they may also offer an opportunity for improving parenting skills, family relationships, and children's social communication abilities with potential relevance for improving remote services.
