Examining relationship quality dimensions in couples raising autistic and nonautistic children

Although there is a public perception that couples raising autistic children experience lower relationship quality, the existing body of research is inconsistent and focuses almost exclusively on couple conflict and relationship satisfaction. The present study extended prior research by comparing multiple dimensions of relationship quality between couples raising a child on the autism spectrum (n = 108) and couples raising a nonautistic child (n = 109). Couples were recruited from across the United States and fathers and mothers individually reported on their relationship quality (i.e., couple conflict, communication style, relationship satisfaction, power dynamics, intimacy, and dyadic coping) and participated in a virtually observed conflict interaction. Results indicated that parents of autistic and nonautistic children were not significantly different on any measure of relationship quality. Overall, mothers reported lower relationship satisfaction compared to fathers. The results of the study highlight the importance of focusing on individual differences within parents rather than differences between parents of autistic and nonautistic children. A notable strength of the study was a diverse sample in the United States. Implications for couples therapy and relationship education are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).