The Impact of Children with High-Functioning Autism on Parental Stress, Sibling Adjustment, and Family Functioning

The article discuses a study conducted to investigate the impact of children with high-functioning autism (HFA) on parental stress, sibling adjustment, and family functioning; the study involves a sample of parents of 15 children with HFA and parents of 15 matched control children who completed ques...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Behavior modification 2009-07, Vol.33 (4), p.437-451
Main Authors: Rao, Patricia A., Beidel, Deborah C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adjustment (to Environment)
Adolescent
Adult
Analysis of Variance
Autism
Autistic children
Autistic Disorder
Behavior modification
Biological and medical sciences
Child
Child Behavior Checklist
Child Behavior Disorders
Child clinical studies
Children
Children & youth
Comparative Analysis
Developmental disorders
Families & family life
Family - psychology
Family Environment
Family Environment Scale
Family environment. Family history
Female
Humans
Infantile autism
Intelligence
Intervention
Male
Medical sciences
Mental Health
Middle Aged
Neuropsychological Tests
Parenting Stress Index
Parents
Parents & parenting
Parents - psychology
Pennsylvania
Piers Harris Childrens Self Concept Scale
Program Effectiveness
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Sibling Relationship
Siblings
Siblings - psychology
Social Adjustment
Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry
Stress
Stress Variables
Stress, Psychological
Surveys and Questionnaires
Symptoms (Individual Disorders)
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Description
Summary:The article discuses a study conducted to investigate the impact of children with high-functioning autism (HFA) on parental stress, sibling adjustment, and family functioning; the study involves a sample of parents of 15 children with HFA and parents of 15 matched control children who completed questionnaires measuring the dependent variables. The results indicate parents of children with HFA experience significantly more parenting stress than parents of children with no psychological disorder, which was found to be directly related to characteristics of the children. The study further shows that the higher intellectual functioning in children with HFA does not compensate for the stress associated with parenting children with autism spectrum disorders. Because the intervention efforts directed at children with HFA will not eliminate the child's primary symptoms, treatment programs may need to address parental stress, which in turn will help optimize treatment outcome for the child and the family.
ISSN:0145-4455
1552-4167
DOI:10.1177/0145445509336427