Parental Competence in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

OBJECTIVE. This work aimed to define and assess the parental competence of parents with autistic children. METHODS. This study was conducted through a systematic review. The search was done in databases, including Cochrane Library, PubMed, CINAHL, Science Direct, Wiley Scopus, Pro Quest, Web of Science, Elsevier, Google Scholar, and Ovid by using keywords, like “children, autism, parenting, competence, and scale” from 1974 to 2019. Inclusion criteria were that the article should be quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-method studies in nursing, psychology, and medicine; the full text of the article should be available and the article should be in English or Persian. RESULTS. Competence among these parents was affected by more factors and they reported lower competence compared to other parents. Moreover, only two instruments were available to assess parenting competence, which were not designed for parents of autistic children. Variables and factors affecting parenting competence has not been examined well in parents of children with autism, and no specialized instrument is available to evaluate parenting competence in parents with autistic children either. CONCLUSION. Although parental competence has been known as the main element to improve the quality of care, it has been studied restrictively from the viewpoints of the parents of children with autism. Therefore, the development of this concept is highly essential for clinical application and investigating its outcomes support.