Firth Ian, Dryer Rachel
School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW, Australia.
J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013 Jun;38(2):163-71. doi: 10.3109/13668250.2013.773964. Epub 2013 Mar 19.
It is well recognised that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience clinically significant levels of stress and depression. This study examined which ASD characteristic best predicted parental distress.
Parents of 109 children aged between 4 and 12 (M age = 7.89, SD = 2.43) completed self-report measures of anxiety, depression, stress, and parenting-specific stress. They also completed rating scales regarding their child's ASD characteristics.
This study found that the child's behavioural and emotional impairments predicted the parents' overall levels of distress (i.e., stress/tension, anxiety, and depression), but not the stress associated with parenting. Instead, the child's social impairment severity was found to predict parenting-specific stress.
This study highlights the pervasive influence of ASD symptomatology on the mental wellbeing of the parents and the importance of assisting parents to cope with the behavioural and social impairments of their child.
人们普遍认识到，自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的父母往往经历临床上显著程度的压力和抑郁。本研究调查了哪种ASD特征最能预测父母的困扰。
109名年龄在4至12岁之间（平均年龄 = 7.89，标准差 = 2.43）儿童的父母完成了焦虑、抑郁、压力和特定养育压力的自我报告测量。他们还完成了关于孩子ASD特征的评定量表。
本研究发现，孩子的行为和情绪障碍可预测父母的总体困扰水平（即压力/紧张、焦虑和抑郁），但不能预测与养育相关的压力。相反，发现孩子的社交障碍严重程度可预测特定养育压力。
本研究强调了ASD症状对父母心理健康的普遍影响，以及帮助父母应对孩子行为和社交障碍的重要性。
