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The relationship between autism and parenting stress
Laura A Schieve1, Stephen J Blumberg, Catherine Rice
1National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop E-86, 1600 Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333, USA. lschieve@cdc.gov
Pediatrics
|February 3, 2007
Summary
Parenting a child with autism, especially one needing recent services, significantly increases parental stress and aggravation. This unique stress is higher compared to parenting children with other developmental issues or special health care needs.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Public Health
Background:
- Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents unique challenges.
- Understanding parental stress is crucial for developing effective support systems.
- Previous research indicates higher stress levels in parents of children with special needs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the association between parenting a child with autism and indicators of parental stress.
- To compare stress levels of parents of children with autism to those of children with other developmental problems and special health care needs.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health.
- Included parents of children aged 4-17 years.
- Employed the Aggravation in Parenting Scale to measure parental stress, comparing parents of children with autism (N=459) to three control groups: children with other developmental problems (N=4545), children with special health care needs without developmental problems (N=11475), and children without special health care needs (N=61826).
Main Results:
- Parents of children with autism reported significantly higher aggravation (55%) compared to other groups (11-44%).
- Within the autism group, 66% of parents whose child recently needed special services reported high aggravation, versus 28% for those whose child did not.
- Parents of children with autism and recent special service needs experienced substantially higher aggravation than comparable groups.
Conclusions:
- Parenting a child with autism, particularly when requiring recent special services, is linked to distinct and elevated parental stress.
- These findings highlight the need for targeted support for families of children with autism who are accessing services.
- Further research should explore specific factors contributing to this unique stress burden.
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