Psychoeducation of Adult Siblings of ASD People (Autism Spectrum Disorder).

November 13, 2025 updated by: Charalampos Depastas, Hellenic Mediterranean University

The Effect of Psychoeducation on Adult Siblings of People With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a psychoeducational program in enhancing autism-related knowledge, sibling relationships, well-being, and resilience among adults with a sibling on the spectrum, while also highlighting the need for tailored supportive interventions for this population.

The psychoeducational program will be implemented in adult siblings of people with ASD and its effectiveness will be assessed.

Participation in this program is expected to contribute in the improvement of the quality of life of the participants, their siblings with ASD and those related to them. No risk is identified.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental lifelong disorder of which prevalence has been significantly increased through the decades. Notwithstanding the abundant research finding on the ASD people and their parents regarding their mental health, quality of life etc., limited evidence exists regarding the siblings of people with ASD. The aim of this study is to apply a psychoeducational program for ASD in adult siblings of people with ASD as a means of providing disorder - related knowledge and improving their quality of life. The psychoeducational program will provide basic knowledge about ASD, training on behavioral management, acceptance and ongoing support to serve the needs of people with ASD and their caregivers.

This study will be a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with voluntary participation. The psychoeducational program will be implemented in adult siblings of people with ASD, free of charge, it will be conducted online by certified trainers, due to the coronavirus pandemic and its effectiveness will be assessed. The sample will be recruited from the general population of Greece. Four groups, each divided into experimental groups and control groups, will be randomized.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, participants will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up).

Participation in this program is expected to contribute in the improvement of the quality of life of the participants, their siblings with ASD and those related to them. No risk is identified.

This study is part of a doctoral thesis in progress at the Hellenic Mediterranean University (HELMEPA), Department of Social Work.

The study is expected to start in April 2024 and to be completed about six months later.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

88

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Greece
    • Crete
      • Heraklion, Crete, Greece, 82102
        • Hellenic Mediterranean University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion criteria were: (i) age 18 or older, (ii) having one sibling diagnosed with ASD, (iii) being neurotypical, and (iv) no prior participation in a psychoeducational program for autism.

Exclusion criteria were: (i) having more than one sibling diagnosed with ASD, and (ii) residing outside Greece.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Psychoeducational program (group A - Ex. gr)

This group of volunteers is going to participate in the online psychoeducational training program for ASD. Number of participants:11.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, participants will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up).
Other: Psychoeducational program for ASD
6 psychoeducation trainings for Autism Spectrum Disorder
No Intervention: Psychoeducational program (group A - Co. gr)
Concurrently with the experimental group A, the no-interventional group will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up). Number of participants:11.
Experimental: Psychoeducational program (group Β - Ex. gr)

This group of volunteers is going to participate in the online psychoeducational training program for ASD. Number of participants:11.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, participants will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up).
Other: Psychoeducational program for ASD
6 psychoeducation trainings for Autism Spectrum Disorder
No Intervention: Psychoeducational program (group B - Co. gr)
Concurrently with the experimental group B, the no-interventional group will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up). Number of participants:11.
Experimental: Psychoeducational program (group C - Ex. gr)

This group of volunteers is going to participate in the online psychoeducational training program for ASD. Number of participants:11.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, participants will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up).
Other: Psychoeducational program for ASD
6 psychoeducation trainings for Autism Spectrum Disorder
No Intervention: Psychoeducational program (group C - Co. gr)
Concurrently with the experimental group C, the no-interventional group will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up). Number of participants:11.
Experimental: Psychoeducational program (group D - Ex. gr)

This group of volunteers is going to participate in the online psychoeducational training program for ASD. Number of participants:11.

To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, participants will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up).
Other: Psychoeducational program for ASD
6 psychoeducation trainings for Autism Spectrum Disorder
No Intervention: Psychoeducational program (group D - Co. gr)
Concurrently with the experimental group D, the no-interventional group will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up). Number of participants:11.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Psychoeducation effectiveness on the knowledge of ASD
Time Frame: 6 months
The evaluation of psychoeducational program effect on knowledge of ASD is going to be evaluated throw the "Participatory Autism Knowledge Scale" questionnaire (29-item scale) will be used. The original validation studies demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, showing good internal consistency. The standardization and adaptation of the questionnaire into Greek has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
6 months
Psychoeducation effectiveness on siblings relationship
Time Frame: 6 months
A newly developed research measure, designed specifically for this study to assess negative emotions and attitudes of adult siblings toward their autistic sibling. The questionnaire's name is "Adult Sibling Relationships and Autism Spectrum Questionnaire (ASRQ-AS) " - 31-item scale. The standardization and adaptation of the questionnaire into Greek has not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal.
6 months
Psychoeducation effectiveness on resilience of siblings of ASD
Time Frame: 6 months
The Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) was developed to assess an individual's ability to recover from stress and adversity. It can also be used to examine factors and outcomes associated with resilience in both mental and physical health, identifying individuals who may benefit from supportive or therapeutic interventions. The internal consistency (Cronbach's α) of the BRS demonstrates good reliability as well as in Greek version.
6 months
Psychoeducation effectiveness on the well-being of siblings of ASD
Time Frame: 6 months
The evaluation of psychoeducational program effect on the well-being is going to be evaluated throw the questionnaire "PERMA-Profiler" (23-item scale). The scale has demonstrated adequate reliability and validity in assessing well-being - Cronbach's α values.
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Hellenic Mediterranean University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: CHARALAMPOS DEPASTAS, PhD stud., Hellenic Mediterranean University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 28, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

October 30, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

October 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 28, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 7, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

April 11, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

November 14, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 13, 2025

Last Verified

November 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 3764/2-10-2019

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

We will keep the anonymity of participants and there is no plan to share their data to other researchers.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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