We assessed the mental health of parents (N = 1450, M_age = 40.76) of special needs children during the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted an online survey comprising items on demographic data; two self-designed questionnaires (children’s behavioral problems/psychological demand of parents during COVID-19); and four standardized questionnaires, including the General Health Questionnaire, Perceived Social Support, Parenting Stress Index, and Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five Factor Inventory. The results showed that there were significant differences among parents of children with different challenges. Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder were more likely to have mental health problems compared to parents whose children had an intellectual disability or a visual or hearing impairment. Behavioral problems of children and psychological demands of parents were common factors predicting the mental health of all parents. Parent–child dysfunctional interactions and parenting distress were associated with parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Family support, having a difficult child, and parenting distress were associated with having children with an intellectual disability. It is necessary to pay attention to the parents’ mental health, provide more social and family support, and reduce parenting pressures.

Purpose: COVID-19 pandemic has been verified as a public health emergency of international concern. During the special period, the health of vulnerable groups, such as children with autism, should be concerned. Some studies have been carried out to investigate the behavioral problems of children with autism during the COVID-19, but underlying mechanisms behind it is not clear. This study examines the role of parenting stress as a mediator in the relationship between parental self-efficacy and behavioral problems in Chinese children as well as the role of perceived social support as a moderator for this mediation effect. Methods: A total of 439 parents of children with autism (mean age=40.17, SD=5.26) were surveyed and completed five questionnaires (Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire, Parental Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form 15, Perceived Social Support Questionnaire, and Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five Factor Inventory). The statistical analyses were conducted by SPSS 26.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro. Results: Controlling for neuroticism, which is highly associated with psychological changes in parents, the study found that parental self-efficacy was significantly and negatively correlated with behavioral problems in children with autism. In addition, the relationship between parental self-efficacy and behavioral problems was mediated by parenting stress. Furthermore, parenting stress moderated the indirect relationship between parental self-efficacy and behavioral problems via perceived social support. Conclusion: These results provide direct evidences for the inextricable relationship between family, social factors and behavioral problems of children with autism. It suggest that improving perceived social support to enhance parental self-efficacy is critical to buffering against parenting stress and stabilizing children with autism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: For better disease management and improved prognosis, early identification of co-morbid depression in diabetic patients is warranted. the WHO-5 well-being index (WHO-5) has been used to screen for depression in diabetic patients, and its Chinese version (WHO-5-C) has been validated. However, its psychometric properties remain to be further validated in the type 2 diabetes patient population. The aim of our study was to examine the reliability and validity of the WHO-5-C in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted on 200 patients from July 2014 to March 2015. All patients should complete the WHO-5-C, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the 20-item Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID-20), the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I), and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). Internal consistency of WHO-5 was revealed by Cronbach’s alpha, and constructive validity by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Relationship with PHQ-9, HAM-D, and PAID-20 was examined for concurrent validity, and ROC analysis was performed for criterion validity. Results: The WHO-5-C presented satisfactory reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.88). CFA confirmed the unidimensional factor structure of WHO-5-C. The WHO-5-C had significant negative correlation with HAM-D (r = -0.610), PHQ-9 (r = -0.694) and PAID-20 (r = -0.466), confirming good concurrent validity. Using M.I.N.I as the gold standard, the cut-off value of WHO-5-C was 42, with a sensitivity of 0.83 and specificity of 0.75. Conclusion: The WHO-5-C holds satisfactory reliability and validity that is suitable for depression screening in type 2 diabetes patients as a short and convenient instrument.

This study constructed a moderated mediation model based on problem behavior theory to explore the psychological mechanism of family functioning interaction with pathological internet use. We used the Adolescent Pathological Internet Use Scale, General Functioning Scale, Trait Hope Scale, and Social Withdrawal Scale to measure internet use in 1223 middle school students. The results showed that (1) pathological internet use was negatively correlated with family functioning and hope, and positively correlated with social withdrawal; family functioning was positively correlated with hope, and negatively correlated with social withdrawal; hope was negatively correlated with social withdrawal; (2) family functioning could not only directly predict pathological internet use, but also indirectly predict pathological internet use through hope; and (3) the mediating effect of family functioning on pathological internet use was moderated by social withdrawal, which was stronger for individuals with low social withdrawal but not significant for individuals with high social withdrawal. This study revealed the internal mechanism of the relation between family functioning and adolescents’ pathological internet use, which has theoretical significance for improving adolescents’ hope and reducing their pathological internet use.