An interventional study of Psychoeducational program for ASD in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sibling Relations, sponsored by Hellenic Mediterranean University. Completed at 1 site in Greece. Open to participants aged 18 Years to 70 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-10.
Sponsored by Hellenic Mediterranean University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Supportive care
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel psychoeducational program for adult siblings of autistic individuals, aiming to improve autism-related knowledge, well-being, resilience and sibling relationship outcomes, 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.
We expect that after the intervention, participants in the intervention group will demonstrate improvements in the study outcomes compared with participants in the control group, and that some of these improvements will be maintained at the three-month follow-up. We further expect that the participants' level of caregiving involvement with their autistic sibling will be associated with the effectiveness of the intervention. No risk is identified.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental lifelong disorder of which prevalence has been significantly increased through the decades.
As a result, the rise in autism prevalence has been accompanied by a parallel increase in the number of individuals who have autistic siblings, a group estimated to number in the millions.
Although supportive interventions have demonstrated benefits for family members, existing research has primarily focused on autistic individuals and their parents. Consequently, evidence regarding interventions specifically designed for adult siblings remains limited.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel psychoeducational program for adult siblings of autistic individuals, aiming to improve autism-related knowledge, well-being, resilience and sibling relationship outcomes, while also highlighting the need for tailored supportive interventions for this population. The psychoeducational program aims to enhance understanding of autism, encourage emotional expression and a sense of belonging, improve family and sibling communication, and provide practical strategies for everyday challenges.
A parallel-group randomized controlled trial with assessments at baseline, post-intervention and three-month follow-up will be conducted among adult siblings of autistic individuals across Greece (voluntary participation). Participants will be randomly allocated (1:1) to the intervention or control group. The intervention comprise six free-of-charge online psychoeducational sessions and one follow-up session and will be delivered by two social workers certified in autism psychoeducation, whereas the control group will complete questionnaires only.
We expect that after the intervention, participants in the intervention group will demonstrate improvements in the study outcomes compared with participants in the control group, and that some of these improvements will be maintained at the three-month follow-up. We further expect that the participants' level of caregiving involvement with their autistic sibling will be associated with the effectiveness of the intervention. 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.
1,727 studies on the registry are indexed under Autism Spectrum Disorder; 504 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 88 is above the median of 52 across 1,371 interventional studies indexed under Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Browse Autism Spectrum Disorder studies →Hellenic Mediterranean University is the lead sponsor of 7 studies on the registry; 4 are open to participants now.
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Inclusion criteria were: (i) age 18 or older, (ii) having one sibling with a clinical diagnosis of ASD, (iii) no self-reported neurodevelopmental diagnosis, (iv) no prior participation in a psychoeducational program for autism and v) able to understand and communicate in Greek.
Exclusion criteria were: (i) having more than one sibling diagnosed with ASD, and (ii) residing outside Greece.
Participants were also required to have access to the internet and a device capable of participating in the online audiovisual sessions.
Participants are going to participate in the online psychoeducational program for ASD. Number of participants: 44. They will will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and at the three-month follow-up).
Other: Psychoeducational program for ASD
Concurrently with the intervention group, the control group will be asked to complete the online questionnaires three times (pre-intervention, post-intervention and three-month follow-up). Number of participants: 44.
6 psychoeducational sessions and one follow-up session for Autism Spectrum Disorder
Psychoeducation effectiveness on the knowledge of ASD
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.
Time frame: 6 months
Psychoeducation effectiveness on siblings relationship
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.
Time frame: 6 months
Psychoeducation effectiveness on resilience of siblings of ASD
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.
Time frame: 6 months
Psychoeducation effectiveness on the well-being of siblings of ASD
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.
Time frame: 6 months
Plan to share: No — We will keep the anonymity of participants and there is no plan to share their data to other researchers.
No publications or documents are linked to this record.
This study is completed, as verified in Sep 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Hellenic Mediterranean University