Parenting stress, salivary biomarkers, and ambulatory blood pressure: a comparison between mothers and fathers of children with autism spectrum disorders.
Mothers report stress, fathers hide it—but both show biological wear, so screen hearts and hormones, not just surveys.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Foody et al. (2015) tracked stress in moms and dads of kids with autism. They used three tools: surveys, spit-cortisol, and a 24-hour blood-pressure cuff.
The team wanted to see if mothers and fathers wear stress in the same way.
What they found
Mothers told researchers they felt more psychological stress. Fathers kept quiet on paper, but their hearts told a different story.
Dads had higher blood pressure all day. Both parents woke up with lower-than-normal cortisol, a sign the body is stuck in high-alert mode.
How this fits with other research
Howe et al. (2014) looked at fathers of very-low-birth-weight preterm babies. Those dads reported the highest stress on surveys. Ciara’s ASD fathers did not complain on surveys, yet their hearts and hormones were screaming. The clash disappears when you see the tools: one study used questionnaires, the other used biology.
Casey et al. (2009) watched mothers of preschoolers with intellectual disability. Mom stress rose month after month while dad stress stayed flat. Ciara’s moms again topped the self-report charts, showing the gender gap holds across diagnoses.
Cox et al. (2015) surveyed Australian fathers of children with ID. High stress linked to child behavior problems. Ciara adds the missing piece: even when dads stay silent, their cardiovascular system is doing the talking.
Why it matters
If you only hand parents a stress rating scale, you may miss half the story. Add a quick blood-pressure check at clinic visits and request a morning saliva kit. When dad says “I’m fine” but his numbers are high, teach self-monitoring and loop in the physician. Moms already speak up; dads need you to read their biology.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may experience higher levels of stress and health problems than parents of children with typical development. However, most research has focused on mothers, with emphasis on parent-reported stress and wellbeing. This study compared parenting responsibility, distress, anxiety, depression, cortisol, alpha-amylase, and cardiovascular activity between 19 mother-father dyads of children with ASD. Mothers reported higher parenting responsibility, distress, anxiety, and depression than fathers, while fathers had higher blood pressure and heart rate variability. Mothers and fathers had lower than average morning cortisol levels, suggesting stress effects on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-axis. Parents of children with ASD may benefit from routine health screening (particularly adrenal and cardiovascular function) and referral for stress reduction interventions or supports.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2015 · doi:10.1007/s10803-014-2263-y