Experience of Sleep for Families of Young Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Predictors of Population Mental Health in Montana: An Occupational Justice Perspective

Population-level analyses can demonstrate occupational injustices and their impact on population health. The objective of this article is to examine whether population-level occupational factors are related to the mental health of Montanans. We used linear regression models of the 2021 Montana County Health Rankings to examine the association between occupational justice and mental health, adjusting for covariates. Predictor variables were access to exercise, insufficient sleep, healthy food access, food insecurity, proximal jobs, and social support. Outcome variables were frequent mental health distress and poor mental health days. Adjusted models showed significant associations between both insufficient sleep (β = 0.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.0.11, 0.40]; Table 2) and food insecurity (β = 0.32, 95% CI = [0.22, 0.43]) and poor mental health days z scores. Adjusted models also showed significant associations between insufficient sleep (β = 0.18, 95% CI = [0.10, 0.26]) and food insecurity (β = 0.19, 95% CI = [0.12, 0.25]) and frequent mental health distress. Future research should study whether targeting sleep and food security can enhance Montanans's mental health.

Social Participation Experiences of Families Raising a Young Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Implications for Mental Health and Well-Being

IMPORTANCE

Social participation (SP) is an important facilitator of positive mental health for children and families. Children are dependent on their families to mediate SP, yet families of children with autism spectrum disorder (C-ASD) seemingly limit SP because of behavioral and functional challenges in community environments. The resulting isolation can affect the child's and the family's mental health.

OBJECTIVE

To distill the essence of everyday SP experiences in the community of families raising C-ASD.

DESIGN

Data collected via in-depth, semistructured interviews with a purposive sample and analyzed in the phenomenological tradition.

SETTING

Community.

PARTICIPANTS

We recruited seven families with English-speaking parents (ages 18-64 yr) raising one C-ASD (age 2-8 yr). Families with more than one C-ASD or those whose C-ASD was diagnosed with complex medical condition or a neurological or genetic disorder were excluded.

RESULTS

The essence of experiences of SP emerged in the form of three themes depicting the mismatch between societal expectations for SP and families' experience: (1) "the struggle," (2) "it's hard to feel like you belong," and (3) what we "have to do."

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

As a collective, families expressed desire for everyday community SP and could do so only in select environments with core groups. The findings, as interpreted through the lens of mental health promotion, reveal opportunities to reduce barriers and to promote meaningful family SP so as to facilitate positive mental health and well-being through the transactional intersecting characteristics of the child with ASD, the family, and the community. What This Article Adds: This study illuminates the experience of SP of families raising a young C-ASD, highlighting both supports and barriers. Practitioners can use this information to potentially prevent isolation and promote both child and family mental health and well-being.