Patterns of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Children and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
4 affiliations
- 1Ondokuz Mayıs University, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Samsun, Türkiye
- 2Ondokuz Mayıs University, Developmental Education Practice and Research Center, Samsun, Türkiye
- 3İstanbul Aydın University, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Istanbul, Türkiye
- 4İstanbul Gelişim University, Department of Child Development, Istanbul, Türkiye
Abstract
Background: This study investigates the utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices, perceived benefits, and etiological beliefs among children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families.
Methods: This exploratory cross-sectional study included 136 participants (mean age 8.9 years; 72.8% male). Data were collected using questionnaires completed by parents regarding CAM utilization patterns, etiological beliefs, and primary information sources. To identify the predictors associated with the lack of parents' perceived benefit from CAM methods, a logistic regression model was utilized among CAM users (n = 124), adjusting for selected clinical, sociodemographic, and informational variables.
Results: A high prevalence of CAM use was identified, with 91.2% of participants reporting the use of at least one method. The most common practices were prayer (62.5%), vitamin/mineral supplementation (51.5%), and dietary supplements (44.1%). CAM preferences appeared to vary across developmental stages. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis revealed that child age was the only significant predictor for parents reporting no perceived benefit from CAM; each one-year increase significantly decreased the odds of perceiving no benefit (OR = 0.838; 95% CI, 0.762–0.921; P = .001). Sociodemographic variables and primary information sources did not significantly predict this outcome.
Conclusions: CAM utilization is widespread and highly dynamic among families of children with ASD. The perceived lack of benefit is significantly associated with younger child age, likely reflecting unmet high expectations during the early post-diagnostic period. These findings highlight the psychosocial nature of CAM use and emphasize the crucial role of professionals in maintaining open dialogues to provide safe, cost-effective, and evidence-based guidance.
Related
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Attending Five Autism Centres in Arab Countries: Associations with Sociodemographic Factors and Health Literacy.
- Patterns of complementary and alternative medicine and health care utilization among long-term opioid users with chronic non-cancer pain: a repeated cross-sectional study.
- Complementary and alternative medicine use for self-care of minor wounds and injuries among a convenience sample of palestinian adults
- Complementary and Alternative Medicine Therapies in relation to Self-Reported Better Sleep across Racial and Ethnic Groups in the United States
- Prevalence and Associations for Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Among Paediatric Cancer Patients in Norway: A Cross-Sectional Survey
BibTeX
@article{usta2026patterns,
title = {{Patterns of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Children and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder}},
author = {Miraç Barış Usta and Melis Elif Şenel and Şeyma Aker and Meryem Macit Efe and Feride Burcu Taflan and Uygar Bayrakdar and Emrah Gülboy and Şenay Kılınçel and Oğuzhan Kılınçel},
journal = {Psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.65801/pcp.3476},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720860},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Patterns of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use Among Children and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder
AU - Miraç Barış Usta
AU - Melis Elif Şenel
AU - Şeyma Aker
AU - Meryem Macit Efe
AU - Feride Burcu Taflan
AU - Uygar Bayrakdar
AU - Emrah Gülboy
AU - Şenay Kılınçel
AU - Oğuzhan Kılınçel
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/01
JO - Psychiatry and clinical psychopharmacology
DO - 10.65801/pcp.3476
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC13720860
AB - Background: This study investigates the utilization of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices, perceived benefits, and etiological beliefs among children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families. Methods: This exploratory cross-sectional study included 136 participants (mean age 8.9 years; 72.8% male). Data were collected using questionnaires completed by parents regarding CAM utilization patterns, etiological beliefs, and primary information sources. To identify the predictors associated with the lack of parents' perceived benefit from CAM methods, a logistic regression model was utilized among CAM users (n = 124), adjusting for selected clinical, sociodemographic, and informational variables. Results: A high prevalence of CAM use was identified, with 91.2% of participants reporting the use of at least one method. The most common practices were prayer (62.5%), vitamin/mineral supplementation (51.5%), and dietary supplements (44.1%). CAM preferences appeared to vary across developmental stages. Furthermore, logistic regression analysis revealed that child age was the only significant predictor for parents reporting no perceived benefit from CAM; each one-year increase significantly decreased the odds of perceiving no benefit (OR = 0.838; 95% CI, 0.762–0.921; P = .001). Sociodemographic variables and primary information sources did not significantly predict this outcome. Conclusions: CAM utilization is widespread and highly dynamic among families of children with ASD. The perceived lack of benefit is significantly associated with younger child age, likely reflecting unmet high expectations during the early post-diagnostic period. These findings highlight the psychosocial nature of CAM use and emphasize the crucial role of professionals in maintaining open dialogues to provide safe, cost-effective, and evidence-based guidance.
SN - 2475-0581
ER -