Personality traits in parents of people with autism

Abstract

Objectives: This study set out to explore if there were measurable personality characteristics specific to parents of people with autism.Method: Parents of 12 people with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of autism presented for the study. Each of the people with autism were matched where possible with a counterpart without autism but with a lifelong disability on parameters of age, sex and IQ level. Parents of the ‘autism’ and ‘non-autism’ groups were then interviewed in detail using four personality assessment instruments. Scores were tabulated for both mothers and fathers in each group and intergroup comparisons were made.Results: No significant personality profile difference was identifiable between the two parental groups.Conclusions: Personality traits specific to parents of people with autism are not identifiable in this study thus casting doubt on the validity of personality phenotypes as measurable heritability factors in autism.

A Case–Control Study of Personality Style and Psychopathology in Parents of Subjects with Autism

“…We are not the first to report findings partly inconsistent with the notion of (the specificity of) the broader phenotype of autism (O'Hanrahan et al 1999;Szatmari et al 1995). Nevertheless, some methodological issues concerning the choice of instruments and design applied in this study should be discussed.…”

“…Despite early empirical studies (e.g. Cox, Rutter, Newman & Bartak, 1975) and a more recent one (O'Hanrahan, Fitzgerald & O'Reagan, 1999), most investigations since the later 80s also found personality peculiarities in parents of children with autism. For instance, Wolff, Narayan and Moyes, (1988) blindly interviewed parents of children with autism and non-autistic mentally retarded children.…”

Psychiatric disorders in parents of children with autism: a meta‐analysis

“…This procedure requires independence of units of analysis. Therefore, for research that reported two outcomes for the same group of participants, and the two outcomes fitted the same psychiatric category as defined in our study (e.g., O'Hanrahan, Fitzgerald, & O'Regan, 1999), we calculated a combined effect size for the two measures by averaging them, and treated this combined effect size as the study's outcome. The two authors independently coded every effect size on each of the six potential moderator variables.…”

Personality Dimensions, Religious Tendencies and Coping Strategies as Predictors of General Health in Iranian Mothers of Children With Intellectual Disability: A Comparison With Mothers of Typically Developing Children

“…In testing fourth study hypothesis, comparison of regression analysis results between the two groups of mothers showed that neuroticism plays the most important role in predicting the general health in both groups of mothers (Table 2). Findings of some studies indicated that experiencing challenges related to long-term taking care of children with ID may lead to emergence of special sorts of personality characteristics in the mothers of these children (Koegel et al 1983;Wolff et al 1988;O'Hanrahan et al 1999).…”