Parenting stress in autism spectrum disorder may account for discrepancies in parent and clinician ratings of child functioning.
High parenting stress makes moms report more child problem behaviors than clinicians see—always grab a second lens before you act.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked 84 moms of kids with autism to fill out two rating forms. One form listed child problem behaviors. The other listed child language skills.
At the same visit, a clinician who had just tested the child scored the same areas. Moms also answered a short parenting-stress questionnaire.
What they found
When moms scored high on stress, they marked more problem behaviors than the clinician saw. The gap got bigger as stress went up.
For language scores, moms and clinicians matched no matter how stressed the mom was. Stress only colored the behavior ratings.
How this fits with other research
Capio et al. (2013) showed that two-thirds of moms of kids with autism have a blunted daily cortisol pattern. That flat stress hormone line goes hand-in-hand with higher self-reported stress, setting the stage for the rating bias seen here.
Northup et al. (1991) found that strong social support lowers mom’s distress. If you boost support, you might also shrink the mom-clinician gap on behavior forms.
Mandell (1984) warned that maternal reports of disabled children group into their own factor pattern. The new study adds a reason: stress acts like a magnifying glass on problem items.
Why it matters
Before you trust a parent form alone, glance at the stress score. If it’s high, collect a quick clinician rating or direct observation. This simple check keeps you from chasing problem behaviors that may look bigger than they are.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Elevated parenting stress among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder is well-documented; however, there is limited information about differences in parenting stress and potential relationships with parent ratings of child functioning. The aim of this study was to explore profiles of parenting stress among 100 parents of young children with autism spectrum disorder enrolled in two clinical trials and to explore relationships between parenting stress level and parent ratings of child functioning before treatment. Secondary aims examined differential patterns of association between parenting stress profiles and parent versus clinician ratings of child functioning. We show that stress may influence parent ratings of certain child behaviors (e.g. problem behaviors) and not others (e.g. language), yet clinician ratings of these same children do not differ. This new understanding of parenting stress has implications for parent-rated measures, tracking treatment outcome, and the design of clinical trials.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2021 · doi:10.1177/1362361321998560