Trends in Autism Spectrum-Related Motherhood Research: A Bibliometric Study

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulties in socialization. The amount of scientific research results on motherhood related to ASD has grown exponentially; however, there are no bibliometric studies in this field. Objective: This article aimed to analyze scientific research on motherhood related to the autism spectrum published in WoS. Articles on motherhood related to ASD were retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS). The advanced search interface used was “Title of the article, Abstract, Keywords”. The analysis and visualization of the selected documents and their data were performed using a wide range of tools and software such as MS Excel (v16.0), VOS viewer (version 1.6.15), and R packages (Biblioshiny, version 2.0). A total of 1660 articles were included in this study. Most of the publications were original articles. The United States published the most significant number of articles among the countries identified. P.R. Hastings, M.M. Seltzer, and J. Van de Water were the main authors. The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders was the most productive and impactful journal. The main research topics were related to mental health and social support in the role of motherhood. This desk study provides researchers with a comprehensive understanding of ASD-related maternity research trends by evaluating relevant publications in recent decades. The results of this bibliometric analysis can serve as a basis and orientation for new studies.

Relationship between Parenting Educational Styles and Well-Being in Families with Autistic Children: A Systematic Review

“…The search was conducted on the following search engines: Scopus (248 articles), Pubmed (69), PsycInfo (EBSCO) (22), Web of Science (WOS) Core Collection (305), and Dialnet (109). Different keywords were introduced as "Autism" can include terms such as "ASD" (Autism Syndrome Disorder), "Asperger's", "Autistic Disorder"; Parenting styles or parenting styles "teaching style" and satisfaction with the parental role.…”

“…Moreover, some tendencies direct their attention towards prenatal pedagogy, in view of the possibility that the mother, with her thoughts, feelings, and way of life, is educating the child before birth [ 21 ]. On this matter, some authors highlight the need for interdisciplinary research to address ASD-related childbearing [ 22 ]. Furthermore, executive functioning in children with ASD is linked with the use of adaptative emotion regulation strategies [ 23 ].…”