Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher levels of stress in comparison to parents of neurotypical children and consequently are more susceptible to negative health and social outcomes. For example, they are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, somatic complaints, isolation, and burnout. Previous research also suggests that parental stress is often correlated with child characteristics, locus of parenting control, parenting satisfaction, and social support. Additionally, challenges in obtaining a timely diagnosis and lack of appropriate treatment services and education are factors identified in the literature as contributors to parental stress and dissatisfaction.
However, less is known
regarding how individual child characteristics (i.e. gender), access to
comprehensive treatment services, and individual functioning intersect to
impact stress levels in parents of autistic children. The gender gap is
one of the most consistent findings in the field, with autism 4 times more common among boys (1 in 37) than girls (1 in 151). Previous research has acknowledged that
girls may present differently than boys, making timely diagnosis more difficult
given our current understanding and availability of diagnostic instruments.
Research has also shown that early intervention is associated with better
outcomes for children with ASD. However, if a child is identified later in
life, early intervention is less likely to occur, possibly impacting the
outcome of treatment services. Consequently, parents of autistic girls may experience challenges not only in obtaining a timely and accurate
diagnosis, but also in connecting to treatment services and identifying sources
of social support.
A study in the open access
journal Autism
Research and Treatment examined the relationship between parental stress
and access to services in families of children with ASD, as well as how this
relationship differed by the sex of the child. The researchers expected to find
that families of female children with ASD have less access to services, and predicted
that fewer services would be associated with greater parental stress.
The researchers found that
parenting stress was higher for parents of girls than for parents of boys, and that for parents of girls (but not boys), fewer services predicted higher parental
distress. The implications of this study provide important information for service
providers working with children with ASD and their parents. Understanding and
targeting parental stress is critical in enhancing well-being and the
parent-child relationship. This is especially important for parents of autistic girls
with because they may lack mental health services that target and address
parental stress. Moreover, difficulty in identifying girls with ASD and
focusing on their specific needs may generate additional parental stress.
Future research comparing services before and after assessment is recommended to better understand the impact of services and support in regard to gender differences, parental stress, and access to services. Likewise, there is a need to focus on specific challenges experienced by parents of female children with ASD, including ways to increase access to comprehensive treatment services and the prevalence of educational and social support. Differences in parental stress experienced between mothers and fathers should also be examined.
Future research comparing services before and after assessment is recommended to better understand the impact of services and support in regard to gender differences, parental stress, and access to services. Likewise, there is a need to focus on specific challenges experienced by parents of female children with ASD, including ways to increase access to comprehensive treatment services and the prevalence of educational and social support. Differences in parental stress experienced between mothers and fathers should also be examined.
Source: Irina Zamora, Eliza K. Harley, Shulamite A. Green, Kathryn
Smith, and Michele D. Kipke, “How Sex of Children with Autism Spectrum
Disorders and Access to Treatment Services Relates to Parental Stress,” Autism
Research and Treatment, vol. 2014, Article
ID 721418, 5 pages, 2014. https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/721418.
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