Parenting Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Unique Challenges for Individual and Family Functioning?

Background:   Impairments associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) vary in severity and present unique challenges to parents and families.  Previous studies indicate that mothers of children with ASD report higher levels of parenting stress and mental health problems compared to mothers of typically developing children. Research findings regarding differences in marital functioning among parents of children with and without ASD have been mixed with some studies indicating lower levels of marital satisfaction among parents of children with ASD compared to parents of typically developing children and others indicating similar levels of marital satisfaction between the two groups.

Objectives:   To examine whether having a child with ASD or not (i.e., diagnostic status) was related to differences in parental well-being, marital quality, and parenting.  Poorer parental and marital functioning was expected in families with the added challenges of parenting a child with ASD.

Methods:   Fifty-two parents (33 mothers and 19 fathers) participated in a mail-out, mail-back survey study.  Participants were predominantly Caucasian, well-educated, and middle- class.  Children had been part of a large national study or were seen at a university-based clinic. Twenty-four children had been independently diagnosed with ASD (M=11.17 years, SD=3.23) and 10 children were typically developing (TD) (M=12.00 years, SD=1.58).    Independent variables (IVs) were used to differentiate diagnostic groups (DV) and included:  (1) parenting pleasure, burden, and importance (Parent Satisfaction Scale; Halverson & Duke, 1991), parenting alliance (Parenting Alliance Measure; Abidin, 1998); (2) marital quality (total score and subscales) (Dyadic Adjustment Scale; Spanier, 1976); and (3) depressive symptoms (Brief Symptom Inventory; Derogatis, 1993).

Results:   Diagnostic groups did not differ on demographic variables.  MANOVAs and ANOVAs revealed that mothers of children with ASD reported significantly higher levels of depressive symptoms (p=.047) and lower levels of parenting pleasure (p=.031) and alliance (p=.034) compared to mothers of TD children.  No significant differences between mothers of children with and without ASD were found for parenting importance, burden, or marital adjustment.  When data from both fathers and mothers were aggregated, parents of children with ASD reported significantly lower levels of parenting alliance compared to parents of TD children (p=.030).  A logistic regression model including parenting pleasure and alliance was statistically significant, reliably distinguishing mothers of children with and without ASD (p=.026).  The full model correctly classified 69.7% of the mothers.  When aggregate data were analyzed with parenting pleasure and alliance as IVs, the full model was significant (p=.047) and correctly classified 71.2% of the parents.

Conclusions:   Families of children with and without ASD report similar functioning in terms of marital adjustment.  However, parents of children with ASD may experience less parenting satisfaction and co-parenting.  Moreover, elevated levels of depressive symptoms among mothers of children with ASD warrant further exploration longitudinally and in conjunction with childhood and adolescent developmental outcomes.  Although based on a small sample, if replicated, these findings have implications for treatment efforts and support services for families of children with ASD to ameliorate parenting challenges and build on family strengths.