Diagnosis Disclosure Support for Caregivers of Children With Autism

Parental Autism Disclosure Scale (PADS)

The Parental Autism Disclosure Scale (PADS) is a self-report instrument developed in this study to measure the extent to which caregivers of autistic children have considered and prepared for disclosing the diagnosis to their child. The scale consists of 26 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" (0) to "strongly agree" (4), with reverse-scored items included. Higher total scores indicate greater consideration of and preparedness for disclosing the diagnosis to the child, with total scores ranging from 0 to 104.

Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS)

The Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS) will be used to assess decision-making conflict regarding diagnosis disclosure among caregivers of children with autism. Items are rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly agree" (0) to "strongly disagree" (4). Total scores and subscale scores are converted to a 0-100 scale, with higher scores indicating greater decisional conflict.

Diagnosis Disclosure Support Intervention Program Acceptability Survey

This will be used to assess whether the intervention program was satisfying and comprehensible to caregivers. Caregivers will respond to approximately 10 items using a Likert-type scale. The survey will include items such as "The program fits the goals of the intervention" and "The skills taught in the program are relevant to my needs."

Diagnosis Disclosure Support Intervention Program Feasibility Survey

This will be used to assess whether the intervention program was feasible for the caregivers. Caregivers will respond to approximately 10 items using a Likert-type scale. The survey will include items related to the practicality of the program such as 'Using Zoom for the sessions was easy for me.' and 'The length of each session was manageable.'

Korean Version of Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (K-ISMI)

The Korean Version of the Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness Scale (K-ISMI) will be used to measure the level of internalized stigma experienced by caregivers and to assess the impact of stigma on family stress and adaptation. Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" (1) to "strongly agree" (4), with reverse-scored items included. Total scores range from 29 to 116, with higher scores indicating a higher level of internalized stigma related to having a child with autism.

Life Transition Scale for Parents of Children with Autism (LTS)

The Life Transition Scale for Parents of Children with Autism (LTS) will be used to assess the emotional responses and psychological adaptation of caregivers of autistic children during the process of recognizing and accepting their child's diagnosis. Items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale ranging from "never" (1) to "often" (4), with reverse-scored items included. Evaluation of the transition process is conducted by calculating the mean score for each stage, obtained by dividing the sum of item scores within each stage by the number of items; higher or lower mean scores are then compared across stages.

Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ)

The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) will be used to assess how caregivers experience and regulate their emotions in their daily lives. Items are rated on a 7-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" (1) to "strongly agree" (7). Higher scores indicate greater use of the corresponding emotion regulation strategy.

Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire (ASK-Q-2)

The Autism Stigma and Knowledge Questionnaire (ASK-Q-2) will be used to assess caregivers' knowledge of and stigma toward autism. Items are scored dichotomously (agree = 1, disagree = 0).