Dyadic Effects of Mothers' and Fathers' Well-Being in Family Impairment

Background: Parents raising children with ASDs tend to report lower psychological well-being and family adaptation compared to parents of children with other developmental disorders (Lee, 2009; Totsika, et al., 2011). Specifically, high rates of parenting stress are often found among parents of young children with ASDs (Baker-Ericzen, et al., 2005; Davis & Carter, 2008), which may impact overall family outcomes. Research to date has mainly focused on identifying child factors, such as behavior and dysregulation problems, associated with family and individual maternal and paternal stressors; very few studies have examined how family members impact one another over time. Studying the dynamic relationship between mothers’ and fathers’ well-being may inform our knowledge about family adaptation for families raising children with ASDs. This study represents an initial attempt to explore the partner effects exerted by maternal and paternal parenting stressors on each parent’s appraisal of impairment in the family system.

Objectives: To examine the interrelationships of maternal and paternal parenting stress with each parents’ perceptions of family impairment, controlling for the impact of child functioning and problem behaviors; and specifically to estimate actor and partner effects in parental reports of family impairment by using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.

Methods: Mother-father dyads (n = 132) participated as part of a larger study of families of young recently-diagnosed children with ASDs (ages 18-33 months). Both mothers and fathers completed independent reports of their parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index- Short Form [PSI]), and appraisals of family impairment (Family Life Impairment Scale [FLIS]). Indicators of the child’s with an ASD functioning were measured using the Autism Diagnostic Observational Schedule, the Vineland Behavior Scales and the Infant Toddler Socio-Emotional Assessment.

Results: An Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (APIM) was tested in Mplus 5.0 to evaluate how each partner’s parenting stress and depressive symptoms impacted the other partner’s perceptions of family life impairment. Overall model fit was good (RMSEA = .013; CFI = .998). Mothers’ ratings of family impairment were significantly predicted by their partners’ parenting stress (β = 0.21), even when child factors were included in the model. However, fathers’ perceptions of family impairment were only affected by their own ratings on parenting stress (β = .31) and not by their partners’ parenting stress.

Conclusions: Results suggest an association between fathers’ parenting stress and mothers’ appraisals of family impairment. Additionally, the impact of fathers’ parenting stress is independent of the contribution of the child’s functioning to the mother’s appraisal of the family’s level of impairment. This study provides evidence of inter-couple dynamics that could be targeted for prevention or intervention in families raising young children with ASDs.