Well-Being of Mothers of Preschoolers with Autism Is Mediated By Their Children’s Treatment-Related Improvements in Every-Day Communication

Background:  Numerous studies have indicated that the behavior of children with autism poses unique challenges to parenting. As children’s behavior and cognitive functioning are subject to change when suitable early intervention programs are put in place, it is plausible that positive treatment-related changes in the child will have a positive impact on parental well-being. To test this hypothesis we investigated whether maternal well-being is affected by the outcomes of children receiving intervention. 

Objectives: Our aim was to evaluate whether treatment-related changes in children with autism (as well as other factors known to be linked to parental well-being) contribute to changes in maternal well-being from pre-intervention (baseline) to post intervention across three indexes – changes in Stress, Anxiety and Depression.

Methods:   The participants comprised an Australian sample of 27 mothers (mean age = 36.11 years; SD = 5.65) of children diagnosed with ASD (confirmed with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule; ADOS) who were enrolled at the Victorian Autism Specific Early Learning and Care Centre (ASELCC) in Melbourne, Australia. Mothers were asked to complete a demographic form and three questionnaires at pre- and post-intervention: the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale to assess their well-being, the Parenting Sense of Competence to determine their satisfaction and self-efficacy in the parenting role and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales II (VABS) to assess their children’s adaptive behavior. Children were also administered the ADOS and the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) pre- and post-intervention.

Results:   We first determined which putative predictors at pre-intervention (VABS communication, daily living and social skills; MSEL verbal and non verbal developmental quotients (DQs); ADOS calibrated severity scores; mothers’ age, SES, and parenting satisfaction and efficacy scores) moderate change by using repeated measure ANOVAs. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were then conducted with the significant predictors to test their unique contribution to T2 well-being (controlling for T1 well-being). Different child and family factors including SES, mother’s age, parental satisfaction and efficacy were linked to maternal well-being. However treatment-related changes in children’s communication, as assessed on the VABS, contributed to variance in all maternal well-being variables (stress, anxiety and depression) above and beyond the other factors.

Conclusions:   The findings highlight that rather than changes in cognitive functioning, it is improvements in everyday adaptive communication skills in children with ASD that impact on mothers’ well-being.