ABSTRACT

Objectives: A Randomized Controlled Trial was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the Hebrew adaptation of the Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®), a parent-assisted intervention. Parental sensitivity (PS), measured in conflict and support contexts, was assessed as a predictor of adolescents’ intervention-related outcomes.

Design: Eighty-two Hebrew-speaking adolescents (9 females), aged 12–17 years, and their parents (62 mothers), were randomly allocated into immediate intervention (II; n = 40) or delayed intervention control (DI; n = 42) groups. Participants were tested at three time-points (Pre-Post-Follow Up for II, Pre-Pre-Post for DI). Outcome measures included behavioral assessments of adolescents’ social communication (SC), a social-skills knowledge test, and self, parent, and teacher reported questionnaires. PS was assessed using support and conflict parent-adolescent interactions. Repeated measures ANOVAs were used to assess intervention effectiveness. SEM was used to examine PS pre- and post-intervention as predictors of adolescents’ immediate and follow-up outcomes.

Results: The II group improved on adolescents’ measured SC and social knowledge, on parent-(but not teacher-) reported social skills, and on self-reported empathy. Gains maintained at follow-up. The DI group showed similar gains following their intervention. Adolescents’ intervention-related SC gains were negatively predicted by pre-intervention PS, and positively predicted by intervention-related PS changes in the support context. Pre-intervention PS in the conflict context positively predicted adolescent SC at follow-up.

Conclusions: The Hebrew-adapted PEERS® is an effective intervention for adolescents with ASD. PS plays an important role in the promotion of SC in adolescents with ASD and should receive clinical attention.

摘要

目标：进行了一项随机对照试验，以评估希伯来语改编的关系技能教育和丰富计划 (PEERS®) 的有效性，这是一项家长辅助干预措施。在冲突和支持环境中衡量的父母敏感性 (PS) 被评估为青少年干预相关结果的预测指标。

设计： 82 名 12-17 岁的希伯来语青少年（9 名女性）和他们的父母（62 名母亲）被随机分配到立即干预（II；n = 40）或延迟干预控制（DI；n = 42) 组。参与者在三个时间点接受了测试（II 的 Pre-Post-Follow Up，DI 的 Pre-Pre-Post）。结果测量包括对青少年社会交往 (SC) 的行为评估、社会技能知识测试以及自我、父母和教师报告的问卷。使用支持和冲突的父母-青少年互动评估 PS。重复测量方差分析用于评估干预有效性。SEM 用于检查干预前和干预后的 PS，作为青少年即时和后续结果的预测指标。

结果：第二组改善了青少年测量的 SC 和社会知识、父母（但不是教师）报告的社交技能以及自我报告的同理心。后续收益维持。DI 组在干预后表现出类似的收益。干预前 PS 对青少年的干预相关 SC 增益进行了负面预测，并通过支持环境中与干预相关的 PS 变化进行了正面预测。冲突环境中的干预前 PS 积极预测后续的青少年 SC。

结论：希伯来语改编的 PEERS® 是 ASD 青少年的有效干预措施。PS 在促进 ASD 青少年 SC 中发挥重要作用，应引起临床重视。