A Case Study Of Social Work Intervention In Providing Parental Occupational Stress Services For Mothers Of Children With Autism

Children with autism are referred to as "Star Children".In China,there is a large and continually increasing number of autism patients.According to data from the 14 th Five-Year Plan,there are approximately 85 million disabled people in China,with over 10 million of them belonging to the autism group.Currently,medical professionals believe that autism is a lifelong condition.Treatment options for autism in China primarily involve medication and behavioral intervention.The main caregivers for children with autism,mothers,are forced to bear enormous pressure during the treatment and rehabilitation process.Seeking external support and assistance to alleviate the parental stress for mothers of autistic children is of paramount importance.This study adopts a qualitative research method,focusing on mothers of children with autism as the research subjects.By utilizing interview and observation techniques,it analyzes the parental stress and unmet needs experienced by mothers in the long-term care giving process for children with autism.Guided by social support theory,this research employs individual case services in social work to assist mothers of children with autism in addressing their parental stress and needs.The aim is to enhance the informal support network for mothers of children with autism,harnessing the informal support from other parents of autistic children,and providing long-term effective support for mothers of children with autism.The research findings reveal that mothers of children with autism experience significant parental stress,primarily manifested as overwhelming psychological pressure,frequent marital conflicts,and strained relationships with their in-laws.The urgent needs that require fulfillment are the release of psychological stress and the alleviation of family conflicts.Social work,through its professional individual case services,can assist mothers of children with autism in relieving psychological stress,mitigating marital and in-law conflicts,and meeting their needs.This demonstrates the effectiveness of social work interventions in addressing the parental stress experienced by mothers of children with autism.Mutual assistance organizations for parents of children with autism have played a powerful role in providing informal support to these mothers.The activities conducted by such organizations have yielded positive results,indicating the efficacy of informal support for mothers of children with autism.These mothers show a stronger inclination towards seeking assistance from informal support networks rather than formal support networks.Based on these findings,in order to further harness the potential of informal support provided by other parents of children with autism,this study proposes recommendations to strengthen informal social support within mutual assistance organizations for parents of children with autism.Firstly,it suggests enhancing the capacity-building of these organizations by nurturing core members.Secondly,it advocates for the improvement of support conditions within these organizations,such as policy support,financial support,and professional support,in order to fully leverage the informal support provided by other parents of children with autism.Only through these measures can we achieve long-term and effective reduction of parental stress for mothers of children with autism.