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Read moreBackground: Caring for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) entails persistent caregiving, behavioral, and educational demands that can substantially elevate maternal psychological distress and perceived stress. Mindfulness-based interventions offer a potential non-pharmacological approach to support parental psychological functioning. Aim: This study examined individual patterns of change in perceived stress, emotional adjustment (indicated by Positive Affect [PA] and Negative Affect [NA]), and aggressiveness among mothers of children with autism who participated in an eight-week mindfulness-based intervention. Methods: We used a multiple-case study design with three mothers of children with ASD (Case 1, Case 2, and Case 3) who completed an eight-week mindfulness-based intervention. We administered standardized outcome measures—including the PSS-10, PANAS, BPAQ, and MAAS—at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and three-month follow-up. Results: Across all three cases, stress and aggressiveness decreased and remained lower at three-month follow-up. Positive Affect increased, and Negative Affect decreased, indicating favorable emotional adjustment. Case 1 showed smaller reductions in stress and aggressiveness but greater affective improvement, whereas Cases 2 and 3 showed larger reductions in stress and aggressiveness. Conclusion: The findings provide preliminary case-based evidence that an eight week mindfulness intervention can support positive trajectories in maternal stress, emotional adjustment, and aggressiveness. Given the small sample size and observational case design, these results warrant cautious interpretation and highlight the need for larger controlled trials.
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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Maternal Well-Being; Caregiving Stress; Mindfulness-Based Intervention; Emotional Adjustment; Aggressiveness; MultipleCase Study.
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