Symposia
Autism Spectrum and Developmental Disorders
Maria Cecilia Montenegro, M.Ed.
The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Harlingen, Texas
Ricardo Garcia, MD
Professor
Universidad de Chile
Santiago, Region Metropolitana, Chile
Gabriela Garrido, MD
Full Professor
Universidad de la Republica
Montevideo, Montevideo, Uruguay
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought an increased incidence of disease and mortality in the world at large, making it a particularly salient and stressful life event (Fuld, 2018; Patel et al., 2020). For those autistic individuals residing in Latin America, the pandemic was met with fragmented healthcare systems, economic downturn, and sociopolitical crisis which puts autistic individuals at risk for more detrimental outcomes (Amaral & de Vries, 2020; Durkin et al., 2015; Kerns et al., 2015; Kohn et al., 2018). The present study aimed to explore changes in dysregulated (overt and internalizing) behaviors and preoccupation with getting sick during the COVID-19 pandemic among autistic children in 7 Latin American countries.
Methods: Sample consisted of 1743 caregivers, residing in: Argentina (n=677, 38.8%) Brazil (n=156, 9%), Chile (n=251, 14.4%), Dominican Republic (n=171, 9.8%), Mexico (n=126, 7.2 %), Uruguay (n=259, 14.9 %) and Venezuela (n=103, 5.9 %). The majority of caregivers who completed the questionnaire were mothers (85.1 %), and most had a male autistic child (81.6%). A series of independent sample t-tests were conducted to assess country differences in dysregulated behaviors and preoccupation with getting sick. Linear regressions were conducted to identify which demographic characteristics and micro-level contextual factors predicted dysregulated overt behaviors and psychological changes.
Results: Contextual factors, such as country of residence, were related to preoccupation with getting sick and dysregulated behavior. Coexistence predicted dysregulated internalizing behaviors, while being older significantly predicted preoccupation with getting sick. Increased screentime only predicted anxiety.
Conclusion: Our findings highlight differences and predictions of behavioral challenges and psychological changes based on certain contextual factors and individual characteristics while experiencing severe life stressors such as a worldwide pandemic. This knowledge could help inform policies and decrees aimed at protecting those most vulnerable due to their increased difficulty adapting to change.