Locus of control fails to mediate between stress and anxiety and depression in parents of children with a developmental disorder.
Feeling powerless does not explain why stressed autism parents become anxious or depressed.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Hamlyn-Wright et al. (2007) asked parents to fill out three surveys. One asked how anxious or depressed they felt. One asked how much control they think they have over life events. One asked how stressed they feel.
The parents had children with autism, Down syndrome, or no disability. The team wanted to know if feeling powerless explains why stress turns into anxiety or depression.
What they found
Parents of autistic kids scored highest on anxiety, depression, and feeling powerless. Yet feeling powerless did not link stress to anxiety or depression in any group.
In plain words, locus of control is not the missing piece.
How this fits with other research
Acosta et al. (2024) picked up the same question but swapped the mediator. They found that stronger mastery beliefs and good co-parenting do explain lower distress. The 2007 null result for locus of control now makes sense: mastery beliefs, not general control beliefs, matter.
Bitsika et al. (2017) added hair-cortisol data and showed child self-injury, not control beliefs, predicts chronic stress. Seymour et al. (2017) widened the lens to fathers and other disabilities, finding one in six fathers of autistic kids report high distress, same as fathers of kids with other long-term needs.
Koukouriki et al. (2021) stretched the family impact further: parental anxiety predicts depression in neurotypical siblings. Together these studies shift focus from parent-only traits to family-wide dynamics.
Why it matters
Stop hunting for hidden control beliefs. Instead, coach parents on mastery skills like setting small daily wins and building a united co-parent team. These levers cut distress for moms, dads, and even siblings. Add a quick screener for child self-injury and offer respite or safety-planning when it shows up.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Stress, anxiety and depression are raised amongst parents of children with a developmental disorder. However, the processes by which stress leads to depression and anxiety are poorly understood. In a cross-sectional survey, levels of parental stress, depression and anxiety were compared between parents of children with an autistic disorder, children with Down's syndrome and children with no disorder (N = 619) and the mediational role of locus of control was examined. Anxiety and depression were higher in parents of children with a disorder, and highest in parents of children with autism. Locus of control was more external in parents of children with autism. Locus of control failed to mediate the relationship between stress and both anxiety and depression in parents of children with a disorder. This suggests that help for parents of a child with a disorder may be effective if focused on the sources of stress rather than perceived control over events.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2007 · doi:10.1177/1362361307083258