Autism Parenting Stress Index: initial psychometric evidence

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Pediatric Medicine

Background:

• Parenting a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents unique challenges.
• Quantifying parenting stress is crucial for effective clinical support and intervention.
• Existing measures may not fully capture the nuances of stress related to ASD symptoms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Autism Parenting Stress Index (APSI) for use with young children (under six).
• To assess the reliability and factor structure of the APSI.
• To compare parenting stress levels between children with ASD, other developmental delays, and typical development.

Main Methods:

• Data collected from 274 children, including those with ASD, other developmental delays, and typical development.
• Cronbach's alpha was calculated to assess internal consistency.
• Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the underlying structure of the APSI.

Main Results:

• The APSI demonstrated good reliability with a Cronbach's alpha of .827.
• Parenting stress was significantly higher in the autism group (4x typical, 2x other developmental delay).
• Factor analysis identified three key factors influencing parenting stress: core deficits, behavioral symptoms, and physical symptoms.

Conclusions:

• The APSI is a reliable and valid measure for assessing parenting stress in families of young children with autism.
• The findings highlight the substantial stress experienced by parents of children with ASD.
• The APSI can guide clinicians in identifying specific areas of need and evaluating intervention outcomes.