Associations between Parental Protective Factors and Child Behavioral Problems in Children with ADHD and ASD

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Neurodevelopmental Disorders
• Parenting Research

Background:

• Previous studies link parental risk factors to behavioral issues in neurodivergent children.
• Limited research exists on parental protective factors and child outcomes in this population.
• Understanding protective factors like resilience and empowerment is crucial for supporting families.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between parental empowerment and resilience and child internalizing/externalizing behaviors.
• Focus on children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• To explore potential moderating effects of child age on these associations.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study using data from the In Kaart register (September 2022 - February 2024).
• Included 5-15 year old children with ASD and/or ADHD diagnoses.
• Parents completed questionnaires on their resilience, empowerment, and child behavioral problems; hierarchical regression analysis was used.

Main Results:

• Younger child age and higher parental resilience were associated with more externalizing behaviors.
• Child age did not significantly moderate the resilience-externalizing behavior relationship.
• Parental empowerment was not directly associated with child behavioral problems in this sample.

Conclusions:

• Parental resilience may act as a protective mechanism for parents of neurodivergent children with behavioral challenges.
• Parental empowerment's direct role needs further investigation, suggesting other mediating factors.
• Future research should examine these relationships in larger, diverse samples of neurodivergent children and their families.