Symptoms of anxiety and depression and quality of life in parents of children with autism during the second wave of the pandemic.

Background: Local political discord together with isolation and fear marked the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil.

Aims: To determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms and analyze adult quality of life (QoL) during the pandemic in four groups: "childless", "children without mental problems", "children with autism" and "children with other mental problems."

Methods And Procedures: A sample of 867 individuals recruited using social media in northeastern Brazil completed the following instruments: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS, Brazilian version), the WHOQOL-Bref, and a sociodemographic form OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The mean score for depression was significantly higher in the "children with autism" group compared to the other groups.