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Interactions between autistics and healthy children and their parents in emotional availability: a comparative study

Belgin Ustun Gullu1, Didem Behice Oztop2, Eda Umutlu Aydin2

  • 1Faculty of Science and Literature, Düzce University, Düzce, Turkey.

Global Mental Health (Cambridge, England)
|October 28, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show different emotional availability (EA) levels compared to fathers. Increased father awareness in EA can improve ASD intervention outcomes.

Area of Science:

  • Child Psychology
  • Developmental Neuroscience
  • Clinical Psychology

Background:

  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) significantly impacts child development and family dynamics.
  • Emotional availability (EA) is crucial for healthy parent-child interactions.
  • Understanding parental EA in families with ASD is essential for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare the emotional availability (EA) of mothers and fathers with children diagnosed with ASD versus healthy controls.
  • To identify specific patterns of parental EA in relation to ASD diagnosis.
  • To inform therapeutic strategies for families affected by ASD.

Main Methods:

  • A comparative study involving 43 children with ASD (30 boys, 13 girls) and 20 healthy children (10 boys, 10 girls), aged 13-60 months.
  • Assessment of parental emotional availability (EA) through observations and standardized measures.
  • Inclusion of parents without clinical diagnoses.

Main Results:

  • No significant difference in EA was found between mothers and fathers in the healthy control group.
  • Mothers of children with ASD demonstrated higher sensitivity and better play structuring compared to fathers in the ASD group.
  • Fathers of children with ASD exhibited more hostile interactions than mothers in the ASD group.

Conclusions:

  • Emotional availability (EA) should be a key criterion for determining the intensity and content of treatments for autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
  • Enhanced awareness and support for fathers' EA can lead to improved intervention outcomes for children with ASD.
  • Parental EA dynamics offer valuable insights for therapeutic approaches in ASD.

Keywords:
ASDautismemotional availabilityneurodevelopmental disordersparenting

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