Seven-Year Outcomes in ASD: Associations With Parental Well-Being, Empathy and Child Functioning

The present study was conducted with the objective of investigating long-term outcomes in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) during childhood. The investigation focused on current symptom severity and social functioning, and it examined the role of parental psychological well-being, empathy and parent-child relationships.

A total of 64 subjects who had previously been diagnosed with ASD were the subject of a re-evaluation 7 years after their initial diagnosis. Participants were divided into two groups: those who retained their ASD diagnosis (n = 53) and those who no longer met diagnostic criteria (n = 11). The clinical assessments comprised CARS, ABC, SRS and ASSP for participants and BSI, FAST, EQ and PCRS for their parents. Multiple linear regression and correlation analyses were used to examine associations between autism symptom severity, social skills and parental variables.

Greater autism severity was associated with lower social skills, reduced parental empathy and higher parental psychopathology. Parental empathy (EQ) and the positive dimension of the parent-child relationship (PCRS) were significantly higher in the loss of ASD group. Parental empathy (EQ) and child social functioning (ASSP) positively predicted the quality of the parent-child relationship (PCRS). Higher parental psychiatric symptoms (BSI) and lower child social functioning significantly predicted greater autism severity (CARS).

The severity of autism and an individual's social functioning are closely interlinked, with child characteristics having strong predictive power. Parental mental health and empathy have been shown to have a significant impact on the developmental outcomes and relational dynamics of their children.