A Longitudinal Analysis of Mothers’ Parenting Stress and Internalizing and Externalizing Behavior of Young Children on the Autism Spectrum

Abstract

We investigated longitudinal relations between internalizing, externalizing, and total behaviors that challenge in young children on the autism spectrum and mothers’ parenting stress. Participants included 93 mothers of children on the autism spectrum aged 27.89–65.84 months, who completed questionnaires on maternal parenting stress, and children’s internalizing (anxiety), externalizing (disruptive), and total behaviors that challenge. Data were collected on early intervention program intake and approximately one year later. Cross-sectional findings indicated small to medium effect size associations between internalizing and externalizing behavior and parenting stress. However, cross-lagged structural equation models found that neither internalizing nor externalizing behavior predicted later parenting stress, nor the reverse. Significant stability effects were found for measures of child internalizing (anxiety), externalizing (disruptive), and total behaviors, and parenting stress. Relations between behaviors that challenge and parenting stress over time were non-significant in our models that controlled for stability of behaviors and parenting stress over time. Implications for research and clinical practice, in understanding and targeting the persistence of behaviors that challenge and parenting stress, are discussed.