The Experience of Depression, Self-Efficacy, and Family Functioning Among Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum...

Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report significantly more depressive symptoms, lower maternal self-efficacy, and worse family functioning than mothers of neurotypical children and children with Down Syndrome. There is a need to describe what contributes to high self-efficacy and high family functioning among mothers of children with ASD.

To understand how mothers of children with ASD describe their emotions, maternal self-efficacy, and family functioning, comparing mothers who screen positive and negative for symptoms of depression.

In this second phase of a larger sequential explanatory mixed methods study, this qualitative descriptive study was conducted using semi-structured individual interviews with mothers of children with ASD. The data were analyzed by hybrid directed content analysis for a presentation of themes. Those themes were then compared across three groups: mothers who screened positive for depression, mothers who screened negative, and mothers whose screening results changed over time.

Mothers in the group who screened positive for depression described more child behaviors perceived as problematic, higher caretaking demands, maternal self-efficacy dependent on child's progress and comparisons to others, more passive coping, and poor family communication.

Interventions to improve family processes and maternal self-efficacy may be an important complement to individual therapy for treating maternal depression. Intervening at the family level as soon as the child is diagnosed may also help mitigate maternal depressive symptoms. More research is necessary to understand and develop interventions that can improve the experiences of mothers of children with ASD.