Psychological distress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: A cross-sectional study based on 683 mother-father dyads

Tang, Yun; Li, Fēi; Fang, Shuanfeng; Liu, Xin; Tao, Minyi; Wu, Danping; Jiang, Liping

doi:10.1016/j.pedn.2022.02.006

Cited by 30 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Consistent with previous studies ( 12 , 14 ), our results also demonstrated that child social impairment significantly predicted parenting stress in mothers. Parenting a child with ASD can be stressful because autistic children usually have difficulties expressing daily demands and suffer from behavior problems due to persistent deficits in social communication skills, which largely increases caregiving challenges for parents.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…However, the majority of previous studies have recruited gender-unbalances samples, which restricts the generalizability of conclusions ( 5 ). Our recent survey of 683 mother-father dyads in ASD families showed that the psychological distress of mothers was indeed higher than that of fathers ( 14 ). Surprisingly, social impairment in children could significantly predict maternal stress but not paternal stress ( 14 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

“…Our recent survey of 683 mother-father dyads in ASD families showed that the psychological distress of mothers was indeed higher than that of fathers ( 14 ). Surprisingly, social impairment in children could significantly predict maternal stress but not paternal stress ( 14 ). Influenced by social expectations and divisions in the labor market, mothers usually serve as primary caregivers for children with ASD ( 15 ), and thus appear to be particularly affected by children's autistic symptoms, which implies that the psychological status of mothers should be attached greater importance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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From child social impairment to parenting stress in mothers of children with ASD: The role of parental self-efficacy and social support

Tang

et al. 2022

Front. Psychiatry

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ObjectivesChildren with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can exhibit persistent deficits in social communication, causing their mothers to experience elevated parenting stress during the childrearing process. Some internal and external psychosocial resources may mediate or moderate the mother-child relationship, though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. This study aimed to explore the predictors of parenting stress in mothers of children with ASD and elucidate the mechanisms underlying the relationship between child social impairment and parenting stress.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted between October 2020 and March 2022 in Shanghai, China. Mothers of children with ASD completed a survey investigating child social impairment, parenting stress, parental self-efficacy, and social support.ResultsA total of 185 mothers of children with ASD were included in the final analysis. 70.27 percent of mothers experienced a clinically significant level of parenting stress. Child social impairment (r = 0.46, P < 0.001), parental self-efficacy (r = −0.58, P < 0.001), and social support (r = −0.35, P < 0.001) were significantly correlated with parenting stress. Parental self-efficacy completely mediated the relationship between child social impairment and parenting stress (B = 0.51, P < 0.001), after controlling for socioeconomic status (SES) correlated with parenting stress. There was no significant moderating effect of social support between child social impairment and parenting stress (B = 0.01, P = 0.09).ConclusionFuture early intervention programs that focused on child's social communication skills and empowered mothers with related strategies through group-based parent training programs may help reduce parenting stress.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 97%

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From child social impairment to parenting stress in mothers of children with ASD: The role of parental self-efficacy and social support

Tang

et al. 2022

Front. Psychiatry

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“…There are many factors that underlie the challenges faced by parents of autistic children [4], and previous studies have examined how both intrinsic and extrinsic factors impact these parents. Studies have shown that parents' quality of life (QoL) is impacted by level of social support [5], perception of daily hassles [6,7], parental mental health [6,8], and parenting stress [9][10][11][12][13]. More importantly, a number of clinical characteristics have been associated with poorer parental QoL in parents raising autistic children, compared to parents of children without autism [13,14].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More importantly, a number of clinical characteristics have been associated with poorer parental QoL in parents raising autistic children, compared to parents of children without autism [13,14]. Parents of autistic children report higher stress [7-9, 13, 14], poorer sleep quality and increased fatigue [15], heightened anxiety [10,14,16] and increased depressive symptoms [6,8,10,14,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sociodemographic and clinical indicators associated with quality of life among parents of autistic children

John,

Lam-Cassettari,

Dissanayake

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Background:Evidence suggests that parents/carers of autistic children have lower subjective physical and mental health which in turn can affect their overall quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between behavioural and emotional profile of autistic preschool children, parental stress, and QoL using a sociodemographic lens. Methods: A secondary analysis of the data collected from parents of autistic children from six Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centres (ASELCCs) across six states in Australia. The standardised Quality of Life in Autism scale (QoLA) scale was used as the primary outcome to ascertain the QoL of parents/caregivers. Primary exposure included child’s autism traits as well as cognitive, adaptive, and behavioural profile measured using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-second edition (ADOS-2), Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), Repetitive Behaviours Scale–Revised (RBS-R), Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales (VABS), Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), and Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) whereas parental stress was assessed using Parent Stress Index-4 Short Form (PSI-4-SF). Several key child-specific (child’s age, gender, and other medical conditions) as well as parent-specific (parent’s age, multicultural status, education, occupation, and income) factors were also included. Multivariable linear regression analyses were used to determine the significant predictors associated with parental QoL whilst adjusting for key sociodemographic factors. Results: Among a sample of 518 participants, the mean (SD) QoLA Part A score was 95.9 (19.9) and mean (SD) QoLA Part B score was 69.8 (21.1). Findings of the regression analyses showed that autism traits as reported by parents (higher SCQ scores) and higher parental stress levels were negatively associated with the parental QoL (Part A) whereas high income had a positive effect on QoL. In terms of parental perceptions of children’s autism-specific difficulties (QoLA Part B), we found that higher internalising and externalising behaviours (CBCL) including repetitive behaviours (RBS-R) are more impactful. Conclusion: Findings indicate that a child’s level of autism specific traits as reported by parents have an impact on parental QoL. Hence, targeted supports in these areas for families could be expected to have benefits not only for the child’s outcomes but also for parental QoL.

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Adaptation and Feasibility of the Mandarin Version of PEERS® for Autistic Adolescents

Lao

Bai

et al. 2023

J Autism Dev Disord

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Psychological distress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: A cross-sectional study based on 683 mother-father dyads

Cited by 30 publications

References 29 publications

From child social impairment to parenting stress in mothers of children with ASD: The role of parental self-efficacy and social support

From child social impairment to parenting stress in mothers of children with ASD: The role of parental self-efficacy and social support

Sociodemographic and clinical indicators associated with quality of life among parents of autistic children

Adaptation and Feasibility of the Mandarin Version of PEERS® for Autistic Adolescents

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