Parental Stress and Disability in Offspring: A Snapshot during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Parenting a child with a disability, such as neurodevelopmental disorders and genetic syndromes, implies a high level of stress. During the COVID-19 outbreak—as a period implying additional challenges—few studies have specifically investigated caregivers’ distress among neurodevelopmental disabilities. The objective of the study is to investigate whether during the COVID-19 pandemic, the level of parental stress differs between four disability groups including neurodevelopmental disorders (autism spectrum disorder (ASD), attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)) and genetic syndromes (Rett syndrome (RTT), Sotos syndrome (SS)) in comparison to families with typical development offspring (TD). In total, 220 Italian parents of children affected by neurodevelopmental disabilities (74 ASD, 51 ADHD, 34 SS, 21 RTT, 40 TD; age M 9.4 ± SD 4.2) underwent a standardized evaluation for stress related to parenting through the self-report questionnaire, Parental Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF). The main findings show greater levels of parental stress—mainly linked to child behavioral characteristics rather than parental sense of competence—in parents of children affected by a disability in comparison to children with typical development. This study highlights the need to support not only individuals with special needs but also their own caregivers: core figures in the management and outcome of children disorders.

Distress Levels of Parents of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparison between Italy and Australia

“…This is in accordance with a recent paper that evaluated parenting stress before and during the pandemic in children with NDDs and their families [ 27 ]. However, our finding is contrary to previous studies that reported increased distress levels of parents of children with ASD during the pandemic [ 28 , 29 ]. This result may be explained by the fact that our study only included parents of children with NDDs, whereas other studies compared parental distress levels of children with NDDs to those of typically developing children.…”

Developmental and Intelligence Quotient in Autism: A Brief Report on the Possible Long-Term Relation

“…This topic assumes a critical role in daily clinical practice—not only in terms of targeted intervention but also in terms of impact on the quality of life of families. It is well known that parents of children with ASD and low IQ show greater levels of stress [ 7 ]; thus, our study may contribute to providing a more evidence-based answer to the recurrent questions parents ask about future intelligence and cognitive trajectories.…”

“…Developmental level and cognitive functioning have proven to be crucial predictors of outcome in ASD [ 2 , 3 ]. It is well known that lower intelligence quotient (IQ) is associated with increased behavioral difficulties and risk of psychiatric comorbidities in this population, leading to greater impairments, strongly impacting a family’s quality of life [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 ].…”

Externalizing and Internalizing Behaviors in Children with ADHD during Lockdown for COVID-19: The Role of Parental Emotions, Parenting Strategies, and Breaking Lockdown Rules

“…Consistently, Shah et al [ 9 ] reported that a relevant percentage of parents experienced elevated levels of irritability and used maladaptive parenting strategies, including verbal abuse, shouting, and recurrent punishments. Similarly, Pecor et al [ 17 ] found a greater decrease in the quality of life of parents with children with neurodevelopmental disorders compared to caregivers of typically developing children (see also [ 18 , 19 ]).…”