Parenting stress and affective symptoms in parents with autistic children

GONG Yun; DU Ya-song; LI Hui-lin; ZHANG Xi-yan; AN Yu; WU Bo-lin

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Chinese Journal of Child Health Care ›› 2012, Vol. 20 ›› Issue (4) : 297-301.

Parenting stress and affective symptoms in parents with autistic children

GONG Yun¹,DU Ya-song¹,LI Hui-lin¹,ZHANG Xi-yan¹,AN Yu²,WU Bo-lin²

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Abstract

【Objectives】 To examine the parenting stress and mental health status and related factors associated with parenting stress in parents of children with autism. 【Methods】 Participants in this study were 196 parents of autistic children diagnosed with DSM-IV and 144 parents of normal children.The parents in two groups finished Parenting Stress Index(PSI),Self-rating Depression Scale(SDS) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale(SAS).Parents of autistic children also completed Autism Behavior Checklist(ABC) and the Children Autism Rating Scale (CARS). 【Results】 1)Parents of autistic children reported substantially higher scores of stress in the child domain,parent domain and total PSI than that of parents with normal children(P=0.000);2)Fathers and mothers of children with autism had higher SDS and SAS scores than those of parents of normal children (P=0.000).Mothers of children with autism reported higher scores in both SDS and SAS than those of the fathers(P=0.000);3)Elevated depression scores were more common in mothers of children with autism than those of fathers with autistic children and parents of normal children.There was no difference in elevated depression and anxiety scores between fathers of autistic children and parents of normal children;4)Parenting stress was positively correlated with severity of symptom of autistic children,children's behavior problems,SDS and SAS scores of parents of autistic children;5)Regression analysis indicated that ABC score,anxious level of mothers and age of autistic children were the related factors of parenting stress,accounting for 54.9% of the total variatio. 【Conclusions】 Parents with autistic children experienced higher level of stress,depression and anxiety than that of parents with normal children.Mothers of autistic children were more vulnerable to suffer from depression than fathers and parents of normal children.Behavior problems of autistic children was the major predictor of parenting stress.

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autistic children / parenting stress / mental health

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GONG Yun,DU Ya-song,LI Hui-lin,ZHANG Xi-yan,AN Yu,WU Bo-lin. Parenting stress and affective symptoms in parents with autistic children[J]. Chinese Journal of Child Health Care. 2012, 20(4): 297-301

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