Autism Awareness and Attitudes towards Treatment in Care Givers of Children Aged 3-6 Years Old in Harbin, China

Background: It is very important for the parents and other care-givers, especially in the developing countries like China, to obtain adequate knowledge and awareness about ASD, which would ensure early identification and intervention of ASD. However, the levels of awareness about ASD and attitudes towards treatment in China are unknown.  

Objectives: To (1) estimate the proportion of people in the community who could correctly recognize autism spectrum disorders (ASD), (2) describe the attitudes towards various treatments for ASD, and (3) identify factors associated with ASD recognition.  

Methods: A population-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in Harbin, China (n = 4947). We estimated the proportions of participants who were at different levels of knowledge about ASD and of their attitudes towards mental health service use. Multivariate logistic regression modeling was used to identify factors associated with the recognition of ASD.  

Results: Overall, 2786 (57.8%) of the respondents could recognize the ASD. Recognition of autism depended on gender, residing areas, age and educational levels. With respect to the attitudes towards mental health service use for ASD, 4007 respondents (84.6%) chose to visit a health organization for treatment; 2470 (68.2%) made the choice of consulting with a psychotherapist.

Conclusions: There is a large room for improvement in awareness about ASD and treatment in the Chinese communities. Insufficient knowledge about ASD and inappropriate attitudes towards mental health service use may impede the efforts of early identification and intervention. Health education and promotion are needed to improve people’s knowledge about ASD and available mental health services.