Ghent University.
Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Dev Psychopathol. 2017 Oct;29(4):1199-1213. doi: 10.1017/S0954579416001243. Epub 2016 Dec 29.
Longitudinal bidirectional effects between parents and children are usually studied in samples of typically developing children, but remain understudied in families with a child with autism spectrum disorder. This three-wave longitudinal study examined how parents and children with autism spectrum disorder influence one another, relying on parent reports of parenting behaviors and children's problem behaviors across 9 years, in a sample of 139 youngsters (M age Time 1 = 10.2 years, 83% boys). Cross-lagged analyses indicated that children's externalizing problems at Time 1 predicted negative controlling parenting 6 years later (Time 2) that in turn predicted externalizing problems 3 years later (Time 3). Negative parental control at Time 1 also increased the risk for internalizing problems at Time 2. It was surprising that externalizing problems at Time 2 also predicted positive parental involvement at Time 3. Thus, although results indicate that externalizing problems generally elicit maladaptive reactions in parents, this study also suggests that parents adjust their way of reacting to externalizing child problems as their child reaches adolescence/emerging adulthood. Implications for future research on parenting dynamics in families with a child with autism spectrum disorder are discussed.
通常在典型发展儿童的样本中研究父母与子女之间的纵向双向影响，但在自闭症谱系障碍儿童的家庭中，这种研究仍然很少。本项为期三年的纵向研究调查了自闭症谱系障碍儿童的父母和子女是如何相互影响的，研究依赖于父母对养育行为的报告以及儿童 9 年来的问题行为，样本包括 139 名儿童（M 年龄时间 1 = 10.2 岁，83%为男孩）。交叉滞后分析表明，儿童在第 1 时间的外化问题预测了 6 年后（第 2 时间）的消极控制养育，而消极控制养育又预测了 3 年后（第 3 时间）的外化问题。第 1 时间的消极父母控制也增加了第 2 时间内化问题的风险。令人惊讶的是，第 2 时间的外化问题也预测了第 3 时间的积极父母参与。因此，尽管研究结果表明，外化问题通常会引起父母的适应不良反应，但本研究还表明，随着孩子进入青春期/成年早期，父母会调整他们对外化儿童问题的反应方式。讨论了未来在自闭症谱系障碍儿童家庭中进行养育动态研究的意义。
