A Study on Parental Support Method for Parents Rearing Children with Developmental Disorders through Evaluation of Emotional Availability

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K04451
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Clinical psychology
• Research Institution: Kitasato University
• Principal Investigator: Oiji Arata 北里大学, 医療系研究科, 教授 (20185177)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 沢 哲司 北里大学, 医療系研究科, 講師 (80756768)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: 情緒応答性 / 発達障害 / 自閉スペクトラム症 / 親子関係 / 子育て支援

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In this study, we examined the usefulness of the Emotional Availability Scales 4th edition (EA) (Biringen Z et al., 2008) for supporting mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD）.
The subjects were seven children with ASD and their mothers. The control group were fifteen neurotypical infants and their mothers. We conducted EA in the subjects and the control group. EA Feedback session and Interview about the feedback was conducted with the mothers after the EA assessment. The second EA assessment was conducted only in the control group after two months of the first assessment. The distribution of EA results in the subjects was similar to that of neurotypical control group. Ten dyads of the control group showed higher score in the second EA assessment than in the first assessment. Five of them showed lower score in the second EA assessment than in the first assessment. These results suggested that EA may be useful tool for supporting mothers of children with ASD.

Free Research Field

児童青年精神医学、精神分析学、臨床心理学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、大人と子どもの間の情緒交流について簡便に客観的に評価できる情緒応答性尺度（EA）を発達障害の子どもの支援のツールとして使うための予備段階の探索的研究である。本研究を通じて、EAが、発達障害を持つ子どもの母親や家族への支援に有用である可能性が示唆された。親子関係の客観的な評価の尺度として確立された方法はまだ少なく、本研究を通じて、様々な問題を抱えた親子への支援のツールとして情緒応答性尺度への関心が高まることが期待される。
実際にEAを、発達障害を持つ子どもの親や家族への支援のツールとして有用であることを示すためには、調査対象の人数をさらに増やして、統計学的な検討も行う必要がある。