What is Parental Stress Connected to in Families of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder? Implications for Parents’ Interventions

Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be a very stressful experience, impacting parents and their ability to take care of their child. We examined the relationship between parenting stress and child, and parent and contextual factors in a sample of 61 families of children with ASD...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of family issues 2022-09, Vol.43 (9), p.2456-2479
Main Authors: Di Renzo, Magda, Guerriero, Viviana, Petrillo, Massimiliano, Bianchi di Castelbianco, Federico
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Autism
Autistic children
Children
Educational attainment
Emotional regulation
Emotions
Families & family life
Fathers
Parents & parenting
Psychological distress
Stress
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Summary:Raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be a very stressful experience, impacting parents and their ability to take care of their child. We examined the relationship between parenting stress and child, and parent and contextual factors in a sample of 61 families of children with ASD recruited in a centre for ASD assessment and treatment. Results showed that mothers had a higher level of stress related to their parental role when compared to fathers. Data also showed the importance of considering the specific role of parental emotion regulation, family functioning and educational level in influencing maternal stress and the specific role of couple adjustment in influencing fathers’ parental distress. This study pointed out the importance of employing a vision that embraces different domains of family life in cases of children with ASD and in parents’ intervention programmes because these factors may contribute to parental stress.
ISSN:0192-513X
1552-5481
DOI:10.1177/0192513X211030735