Table 4.
Characteristics of studies included in final review
| Author (year) | Name of intervention | Name of stress/anxiety scale | Intervention participant | Sample size & demographics of parents | Duration | Design | Assessment | Outcomes of interests | Unique components |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mindfulness interventions | |||||||||
| Lunsky et al. (2021) | Group Virtual Mindfulness-Based Intervention |
Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale – Modified 14-item |
Parent (mothers & fathers) |
n = 39 F = 89.7% Age M (SD) = 52.68 (6.87) |
6 weeks (6 sessions; 1.5 h each) |
Single group; no control |
3 (pre, post, and at 3-month follow-up) |
Parental stress, depression, and mindfulness | Virtual synchronous delivery, parent advisors |
| Lunsky et al. (2015) | Coping with Stress | Stress subscale from the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale |
Parent (mothers & fathers) |
n = 22 F = 86.4% Age M (SD) = 56.7 (9.2) |
6 weeks (6 sessions; 2 h each) |
Single group; no control |
2 (pre and post) |
Mindfulness, mindful parenting, and stress | Adapted to older parents |
| Ruiz-Robledillo et al. (2015) | MBP: Mindfulness-Based Program | State Anxiety Inventory (Spanish) |
Parent (mothers & fathers) |
n = 6 & 7 F = 92.3% Age M (SD) = 46.3 (4.32) 83.3% married; 83.3% university education; 75% employed; 83.3% do not use cigarettes; BMI 24.81 |
5 weeks (9 sessions; 2 h each) |
Two groups |
3 (pre, mid, and post) |
Anxiety, mood and anger, health and stress | Stress measured through cortisol markers |
| Salem-Guirgis et al. (2019) | MYMind |
Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale |
Parent (mothers and fathers) & Child |
n = 23 F = 87% Age M (SD) = 50.5 (5.25) 71.4% White; 39.1% university degree; 78.3% married; 42.9% employed full-time |
9 weeks (9 sessions; 1.5 h each) + 1 booster session (9 weeks post-program) |
Single group; no control |
4 (2 pre and 2 post) |
Mindfulness, parent depression, stress and anxiety and youth emotion regulation and autism symptoms | Both parent and child included in a mindfulness intervention |
| Singh et al. (2019) | MBPBS: Mindfulness-Based Positive Behavior Support | Perceived Stress Scale-10 |
Parent (only mothers) |
n = 47 & 45 F = 100% Age M = 47.91 & 48.82 |
40 weeks (10-week control period; 3 sessions held over 3 days and 30 weeks of practice) |
Two groups; no control |
3 (2 pre and 1 post) |
Maternal stress levels and aggressive, disruptive, and compliance behaviors among children | Two components of intervention: mindfulness and support for challenging behaviors in children |
| Singh et al. (2014) | MBPBS: Mindfulness-Based Positive Behavior Support | Perceived Stress Scale-10 |
Parent (only mothers) |
n = 3 F = 100% Age M = 40.3 |
48 weeks (1 pre-training session followed by 4 weeks of practice, then 8 sessions over 8 weeks followed by practices at home) |
Single group; no control |
4 (2 pre and 2 post) |
Maternal stress levels of mothers, and aggressive, disruptive, and compliance behaviors among children | One-on-one training; Two components of intervention: mindfulness and support for challenging behaviors in children; 100% transition age |
| Social functioning interventions | |||||||||
| Karst et al. (2015) | PEERS | Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents | Parent (mothers and fathers) & Child |
n = 32 & 32 F = 73% Age M (SD) = 46.1 (4.6) & 46.6 (5.6) |
16 weeks (14 sessions; 1.5 h each) |
Two groups |
2 (pre and post) |
Family chaos, parenting stress, and parenting self-efficacy | Small groups; randomized control trial |
| Schiltz et al. (2018) | PEERS | Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents & Beck Anxiety Inventory | Parent (mothers and fathers) & Child |
n = 77 F = 80.52% Age M = 46.6 (4.96) 88.3% White; 90.9% non-Latino; 45.5% household income over 100 K |
14 weeks (14 sessions; 1.5 h each) |
Two groups |
2 (pre and post) |
Child’s challenging and social behaviors, parental stress, depression and anxiety and parental involvement | Small groups; Randomized control trial |
| Yoo et al. (2014) | PEERS – Korean Version | State and Trait Anxiety Inventory | Parent (mothers and fathers) & Child | F = 99.5% |
14 weeks (14 sessions; 1.5 h each) |
Two groups |
3 (1 pre and 2 post including one at 3-month follow-up) |
Teens social ability, ASD symptoms, depression, anxiety and behavioral problems. Parental depression, state and trait anxiety | Culturally adapted PEERS intervention in Korean; Randomized control trial |
| Multi-component interventions | |||||||||
| Mazzucchelli et al. (2018) | Building Bridges Triple P | Depression Anxiety Stress Scales |
Parent (mothers and fathers) |
n = 9 |
8 weeks (8 sessions; 11.5 h total) |
Single group; no control |
3 (1 pre and 2 post including one at 3-month follow-up) |
Adolescent problem behaviors; parent dysfunctional disciplining styles; parent depression, anxiety and stress | In-person and phone sessions; parents identify a goal they want to achieve |
| Siracusano et al. (2021) | TrASDition Training | Parental Stress Index Short Form |
Parent (mothers and fathers) |
None reported | 6 months (6 videos; 20 min each) | Single group; no control | 2 (pre and 6 month follow-up) | Child’s adaptive functioning, repetitive and problematic behaviors and parental stress | Virtual delivery; high and low functioning ASD; focus on transition challenges; 100% transition age |
| Smith et al. (2018) | Transitioning Together | Perceived Stress Scale-10 | Parent (mothers and fathers) & Child |
n = 16 & 25 F = 88% 95% White; 75% completed bachelor’s degree; Median household income $75,000 |
8 weeks (8 sessions plus 2 pre-family joining sessions) |
Two groups |
2 (pre and post) |
Parent depression, general life stress, and problem-solving, parent–child relationships and adolescent outcomes (social interactions, autism symptoms and social engagement) | Focus on transition period; parents identify goals in joining sessions; 100% transition age |
| Zu et al. (2019) | Psychoeducati-onal intervention: social skills training (PEERS) & knowledge about ASD | Beck Anxiety Inventory (Chinese) |
Parent (only mothers) |
n = 8 & 8 F = 100% Age M (SD) = 43.63 (3.6) & 43.63 (9.06) 100% completed minimum high school; most full-time homemakers |
12 weeks (12 sessions; 1.5 h each) |
Two groups; no control |
3 (pre-mid-post) |
Parents’ positive/negative language, depression, anxiety and child’s ASD symptoms | Speech patterns of mothers |
F female, Age M (SD) age mean (standard deviation)