Department of Psychology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
Autism Res. 2020 Jan;13(1):82-92. doi: 10.1002/aur.2213. Epub 2019 Oct 8.
Robust findings demonstrate that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience high levels of parenting stress that are associated with negative outcomes for families. Although the majority of research on parenting stress has focused on parents of children with an existing diagnosis, parents of young children with concerns about ASD-related behaviors also face many unique challenges before the time of diagnosis. However, no study to date has examined patterns of parenting stress among parents of children with ASD concerns prior to a formal ASD diagnosis. Therefore, the current study investigated longitudinal trajectories of parenting stress among parents of young children with ASD concerns compared to parents of children with non-ASD developmental concerns (e.g., language delay), and parents of children with no developmental concerns. Known predictors of parenting stress were also examined. Results from multilevel model analyses revealed that parents of children with ASD concerns experienced consistently higher levels of parenting stress across early child development compared to parents of children with non-ASD developmental concerns and those with no concerns. Additionally, parenting efficacy, psychological functioning, social satisfaction, and child social communication behaviors predicted levels of parenting stress for all parents. Autism Res 2020, 13: 82-92. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: This study examined parenting stress across time among parents of young children with ASD concerns before receiving a diagnosis. Parents of children with ASD concerns reported consistently higher levels of parenting stress compared to parents of children with other developmental concerns and parents of children with no concerns. Also, ASD concerns predicted parenting stress in addition to other parent and child predictors of parenting stress. These findings highlight the need to better support families before an ASD diagnosis.
强有力的研究结果表明，自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的父母经历着高水平的育儿压力，这与家庭的负面结果有关。尽管大多数关于育儿压力的研究都集中在已经确诊的儿童的父母身上，但对有 ASD 相关行为问题的幼儿的父母来说，在确诊之前也面临着许多独特的挑战。然而，迄今为止，尚无研究调查过在正式 ASD 诊断之前，有 ASD 相关问题的儿童的父母的育儿压力模式。因此，本研究调查了与有非 ASD 发育问题（如语言延迟）的儿童的父母和无发育问题的儿童的父母相比，有 ASD 相关问题的幼儿的父母的育儿压力的纵向轨迹。还检查了育儿压力的已知预测因素。多层次模型分析的结果表明，与有非 ASD 发育问题的儿童的父母和无发育问题的儿童的父母相比，有 ASD 相关问题的儿童的父母在整个幼儿期的育儿压力始终较高。此外，育儿效能感、心理功能、社会满意度和儿童社会沟通行为预测了所有父母的育儿压力水平。自闭症研究 2020，13：82-92。 © 2019 自闭症国际研究协会，威利期刊，公司。
摘要：本研究在接受诊断之前，考察了 ASD 患儿父母的育儿压力随时间的变化。与有其他发育问题的儿童的父母和无发育问题的儿童的父母相比，有 ASD 相关问题的儿童的父母报告的育儿压力水平始终较高。此外，除了其他父母和儿童对育儿压力的预测因素外，ASD 问题也预测了育儿压力。这些发现强调了在 ASD 诊断之前为家庭提供更好支持的必要性。
