https://ejournal.iai-tribakti.ac.id/index.php/psikologi https://doi.org/10.33367/psi.v7i1.1909 Copyright © 2022 Nurussakinah Daulay This article is licensed under CC-BY-SA | 1 The Effectiveness of Psychoeducation to Improve the Well-being of Parents Having Children with Autism During the Pandemic Nurussakinah Daulay Universitas Islam Negeri Sumatera Utara, Medan, Indonesia nurussakinah@uinsu.ac.id *Correspondence Article Information: Received August 15, 2021 Revised February 23, 2022 Accepted February 25, 2022 Keywords: autism spectrum disorder, group-based parenting support, well-being, psychoeducation Abstract This study aimed to determine the role of group-based parenting support training with the psychoeducational method in improving the well-being of parents having children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) during the pandemic. The participants were 10 parents divided into the psychoeducational group and 12 parents in the control group in one State Special School for Autism in Medan. The instrument used a scale based on seven aspects of subjective well-being, as expressed by White (2010). Furthermore, data analysis was carried out using an independent sample t-test. The results showed that there was no difference in the well-being score between the psychoeducational and control group (F (1,20) = 0.445, t = -0.446, p > 0.05). Meanwhile, the control group had higher well-being score in the post-test (n = 12, M = 103.17, SD = 16.596) than the psychoeducational group (n = 10, M = 100.20, SD = 14.148). INTRODUCTION The COVID-19 pandemic has caused several impacts, especially in education, such as online teaching and learning activities (Bozkurt & Sharma, 2020); (Moorhouse, 2020). This is an alternative education system that has been implemented by almost all countries in the world, where parents are involved in the learning process of their children (Cahapay, 2020). Similarly, the learning system for children with neurodevelopmental disorders such as those with ASD takes place at home. Several studies have shown the obstacles encountered by parents in teaching children with ASD during a pandemic, one of which is a study conducted by Daulay (2021). The results have proven that the teaching and learning activities helped by mothers at home during the pandemic are less than optimal due to the increased maladaptive behavior of children with ASD, lack of knowledge of mothers regarding how to teach children at home, and heavier parenting responsibilities they face at home. Therefore, there is a possibility of creating a negative impact, such as parenting stress. Furthermore, the study carried out in the Philippines (Cahapay, 2020) and Zimbabwe by Majoko and Dudu (2020) proved the heavy burden of parenting that parents experience while their children are studying at home during the pandemic.