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Preschool children with intellectual disability: syndrome specificity, behaviour problems, and maternal well-being
A S Eisenhower1, B L Baker, J Blacher
1Department of Psychology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA. aeisenho@ucla.edu
Insights
Children with intellectual disability (ID) show distinct behavior problems and impact maternal stress differently by syndrome. Mothers of children with autism experience the highest stress, highlighting syndrome-specific risks.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Child Psychiatry
- Maternal Mental Health
Background:
- Children with intellectual disability (ID) face higher risks for behavioral issues and mental disorders.
- Mothers of children with ID report increased stress compared to mothers of typically developing children.
- Behavioral phenotypes in ID syndromes may correlate with specific child behavioral and maternal well-being risks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate syndrome-specific differences in child behavior problems and maternal well-being.
- To examine the early manifestation and continuity of these differences.
Main Methods:
- Studied 215 preschool children across 5 groups: typically developing, undifferentiated developmental delays, Down syndrome, autism, and cerebral palsy.
- Assessed child behavior problems and maternal well-being using maternal reports.
- Tracked these measures from age 3 to 5 years.
Main Results:
- Children with autism and cerebral palsy exhibited the most behavior problems at age 3; those with Down syndrome and typically developing children showed the fewest.
- Mothers of children with autism reported the highest parenting stress.
- Syndrome-specific patterns of behavior and maternal stress remained stable, with increases noted in Down syndrome and cerebral palsy groups.
- Child syndrome independently contributed to maternal stress, beyond behavior problems and cognitive level.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral problems manifest early (by age 3) and vary by ID syndrome.
- Maternal stress levels parallel these behavioral differences, with mothers of autistic children at elevated risk.
- Factors beyond behavior problems associated with specific syndromes also contribute to maternal stress.
Background:
Children with intellectual disability (ID) are at heightened risk for behaviour problems and diagnosed mental disorder. Likewise, mothers of children with ID are more stressed than mothers of typically developing children. Research on behavioural phenotypes suggests that different syndromes of ID may be associated with distinct child behavioural risks and maternal well-being risks. In the present study, maternal reports of child behaviour problems and maternal well-being were examined for syndrome-specific differences.
Methods:
The present authors studied the early manifestation and continuity of syndrome-specific behaviour problems in 215 preschool children belonging to 5 groups (typically developing, undifferentiated developmental delays, Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy) as well as the relation of syndrome group to maternal well-being.
Results:
At age 3, children with autism and cerebral palsy showed the highest levels of behaviour problems, and children with Down syndrome and typically developing children showed the lowest levels. Mothers of children with autism reported more parenting stress than all other groups. These syndrome-specific patterns of behaviour and maternal stress were stable across ages 3, 4 and 5 years, except for relative increases in behaviour problems and maternal stress in the Down syndrome and cerebral palsy groups. Child syndrome contributed to maternal stress even after accounting for differences in behaviour problems and cognitive level.
Conclusions:
These results, although based on small syndrome groups, suggest that phenotypic expressions of behaviour problems are manifested as early as age 3. These behavioural differences were paralleled by differences in maternal stress, such that mothers of children with autism are at elevated risk for high stress. In addition, there appear to be other unexamined characteristics of these syndromes, beyond behaviour problems, which also contribute to maternal stress.
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