Non-suicidal self-injury in adolescence: Longitudinal evidence of recursive associations with adolescent depression and parental rejection

IntroductionNon-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been acknowledged as a major public health concern among adolescents. However, the complex association between parental rejection and NSSI is not entirely understood and the existing literature does not address the underlying mechanism of adolescent depressive symptoms in explaining the process.MethodsThree waves of data (called T1, T2 and T3) were collected 6 months apart, between November 2018 and 2019, in a sample of 1987 Chinese adolescents (56.1% males; ages 10 to 14, M = 12.32, SD = 0.53). Two separate autoregressive cross-lagged models were used to examine the bidirectional association between parental rejection and NSSI as well as the role of depressive symptoms in bidirectional mediation.ResultsThere was strong evidence of bidirectional effects between parental rejection and NSSI at both 6-month intervals. Parental rejection at T1/T2 positively predicted NSSI at T2/T3, and, vice versa, NSSI at T1/T2 positively predicted parental rejection at T2/T3. Furthermore, we found that the reciprocal association between parent rejection and NSSI was mediated by adolescent depressive symptoms.ConclusionsThe present study found reciprocal associations between parental rejection and NSSI, and further demonstrated that the bidirectional process was mediated by depressive symptoms. The findings from this study are of great interest as they help to inform the development of future prevention and intervention strategies for NSSI.     

Measuring children’s emotional and behavioural problems: are SDQ parent reports from native and immigrant parents comparable?

Adolescence is characterized by developmental changes in social relationships, which may contribute to, or protect against, psychopathology and risky behaviors. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is one type of risky behavior that typically begins during adolescence and is associated with problems in relationships with family members and peers. Prior research on social factors in adolescent NSSI has been limited, however, by a narrow focus on specific interpersonal domains, cross-sectional methods, retrospective self-report of childhood experiences, and a failure to predict NSSI onset among as-yet-unaffected youth. We investigated these relationships in 2127 urban-living adolescent girls with no NSSI history at age 13, who were participating in a longitudinal cohort study (Pittsburgh Girls Study). We used discrete-time survival analyses to examine the contribution of time-varying interpersonal risk factors, assessed yearly at ages 13–16, to NSSI onset assessed in the following year (ages 14–17), controlling for relevant covariates, such as depression and race. We considered both behavioral indicators (parental discipline, positive parenting, parental monitoring, peer victimization), and cognitive/affective indicators (quality of attachment to parent, perceptions of peers, and perceptions of one’s own social competence and worth in relation to peers) of interpersonal difficulties. Parental harsh punishment, low parental monitoring, and poor quality of attachment to parent predicted increased odds of subsequent adolescent NSSI onset, whereas positive parenting behaviors reduced the odds of next year NSSI onset. Youth who reported more frequent peer victimization, poorer social self-worth and self-competence, and more negative perceptions of peers were also at increased risk of NSSI onset in the following year. When tested simultaneously, no single parenting variable showed a unique association with later NSSI onset; in contrast, peer victimization and poor social self-worth each predicted increased odds of later NSSI onset in an omnibus model of peer and parent relationship characteristics. In this urban sample of adolescent girls, both peer and parent factors predicted new onset NSSI, although only peer factors were associated with subsequent NSSI in combined multivariate models. Results further suggest that both behavioral and cognitive/affective indicators of interpersonal problems predict NSSI onset. These findings highlight the relevance of family and peer relationships to NSSI onset, with implications for prevention of NSSI onset among at-risk youth.     

Risk and protective factors for psychological distress among adolescents: a family study in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study

Purpose  

The study aimed to investigate potential adolescent and parental psychosocial risk and protective factors for psychological distress among adolescents and, in addition, to examine potential gender and age differences in the effects of risk factors on adolescent psychological distress.     

Adolescent social withdrawal,parental psychological control,and parental knowledge across seven years: A developmental cascade model

IntroductionSocial withdrawal can be problematic for adolescents, increasing the risk of poor self-efficacy, self-esteem, and academic achievement, and increased levels of depression and anxiety. This prospective study follows students across adolescence, investigating links between social withdrawal and two types of parenting hypothesized to impact or be reactive to changes in social withdrawal.MethodsAdolescent social withdrawal and parenting were assessed across seven years in a U.S. sample, beginning when students were in 6th grade and ending in 12th grade. The sample consisted of 534 adolescents (260 girls and 274 boys, 82% Euro- and 16% African-American). Social withdrawal was assessed in four grades using at least two informants (teachers, mothers, and/or adolescents). Mothers' and fathers' psychological control and monitoring-related knowledge were assessed by adolescents at two time points. A developmental cascade analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling to assess how withdrawal and control-related parenting impact each other transactionally over time. Analyses included a test for gender differences in the model.ResultsThe cascade model revealed that, controlling for previous levels of social withdrawal and parenting, earlier social withdrawal positively predicted psychological control and negatively predicted monitoring knowledge, and earlier parental psychological control—but not monitoring knowledge—predicted later social withdrawal. No adolescent gender differences were identified in the associations between social withdrawal and parental knowledge.ConclusionsThis study offers insight into the mechanisms by which adolescents become more or less withdrawn over time, and suggests psychological control as a point of psychoeducation or intervention for parents.     

Construct validity of the Parent–Child Sleep Interactions Scale (PSIS): associations with parenting,family stress,and maternal and child psychopathology

Study objectivesUsing a multi-method design, this study examined the construct validity of the Parent–Child Sleep Interactions Scale (PSIS; Alfano et al., 2013), which measures sleep-related parenting behaviors and interactions that contribute to preschoolers’ sleep problems.MethodsParticipants included a community sample of 155 preschoolers (ages 3–5 years; 51.6% female). Primary caregivers completed the PSIS. Parenting styles and behaviors were assessed with laboratory observations and parent reports. Parent and child psychopathology and family life stress were assessed with clinical interviews and parent reports.ResultsBivariate correlations revealed significant associations between the PSIS and a number of variables, including lower observed parental support and quality of instruction; higher observed parental intrusiveness; authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles; current maternal depressive and/or anxiety disorders and depressive symptomatology; increased stressful life events; lower marital satisfaction; and higher child depressive, anxiety, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms. The patterns of association varied based on the specific PSIS scale.ConclusionsThe PSIS demonstrates meaningful associations with parenting, maternal psychopathology, family stress, and child psychopathology and functioning. Findings suggest that the PSIS is a valid measure for assessing sleep-related parent/child behaviors and interactions among preschoolers, suited to real-world settings.     

Evidence for similarities between adolescents and parents in sleep patterns

ObjectiveSleep in adolescence may vary according to strain and environmental factors. In particular, parents’ behavior may affect their children’s psychological functioning and sleep. However, no data have been gathered with respect to parents and their adolescent children’s concurrent sleep patterns. This was the aim of the present study, together with exploration of the possible influence of parenting style on adolescents’ sleep.MethodsA total of 293 adolescents (mean age: 17.55; 214 females, 79 males) completed several questionnaires regarding their own psychological functioning as well as a sleep log for seven consecutive days. Additionally, adolescents rated parents’ sleep and parenting styles.ResultsAdolescents’ and parents’ sleep patterns proved to be correlated. Moreover, mother’s sleep was related to adolescents’ psychological functioning. However, SEM showed that mother’s sleep influenced adolescents’ sleep not directly, but indirectly, via parenting style and adolescents’ psychological functioning.ConclusionsSleep patterns of parents and their adolescent children show similarities. Moreover, mother’s poor sleep has a direct impact on parenting style, which in turn affects adolescents’ psychological functioning and sleep. Therefore, sleep problems in adolescents may mirror an unfavorable parenting style and sleep complaints among mothers. These conclusions might usefully inform family counseling and treatment of adults’ and adolescents’ sleep complaints.     

Predicting latent classes of drug use among adolescents through parental alcohol use and parental style: a longitudinal study

Purpose

The present study examined the roles of parental alcohol use and parental style as predictors of adolescent patterns of drug use.

Methods

6391 students in the 7th and 8th grades at 72 Brazilian public schools participated in a three-wave randomized controlled trial to evaluate a school drug-use prevention program. Patterns of drug use were identified through two latent class analyses using measures of the adolescents’ past-year drug use. Multinomial logistic regression analyses examined whether parental alcohol use and parenting style at baseline predicted patterns of drug use in waves 2 and 3 of the study after controlling for sociodemographic covariates.

Results

In each of the two waves, three latent classes of drug use were identified among the students, defining three different groups of individuals: (1) abstainers/low users, (2) alcohol users/binge drinkers, and (3) polydrug users. First, parenting style (especially monitoring) was the strongest predictor for the prevention of polydrug use among adolescents. Second, occasional alcohol use by parents can act as a central predictor for adolescent alcohol use and binge drinking. Above all, maternal episodes of drunkenness were involved in the predictive models for both drug use classes in both waves.

Conclusion

Parental alcohol use and parenting style seem to be important predictors of adolescent’s likelihood of belonging to different latent classes of drug use. This conclusion may point to the importance of considering the inclusion of parenting skills and parental alcohol use within the scope of adolescents’ preventive interventions.

     

Dating violence: A cross-lag path model with pregnant and parenting adolescents

IntroductionDating violence is a common problem among adolescents, particularly among Latinx pregnant and parenting adolescents, and can be detrimental to adolescent parents and their children. However, little is known about whether different forms of dating violence behaviors are stable over time or what influences changes in these behaviors. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to use an exploratory autoregressive cross-lag path model to analyze whether conflict resolution, verbally abusive, and physically abusive behaviors were stable over time and whether these behaviors predicted one another in the future.MethodA total of 285 pregnant or parenting adolescents attending eight high schools in the Southwestern U.S. completed a pre-test at the beginning of a semester, a follow-up survey at the end of the semester, and a post-test at the end of the following semester to longitudinally assess the strategies they used when resolving a conflict with their partners (i.e., conflict resolution strategies, verbally abusive behaviors, and/or physically abusive behaviors).Results and conclusionsAn autoregressive cross-lag model was performed to determine whether conflict resolution, verbally abusive, and physically abusive behaviors at one time point predicted the same variables in the future. Results from the autoregressive cross-lag model indicated that adolescents’ reports of their conflict resolution strategies and verbally abusive behaviors were stable across time, but their use of physically abusive behaviors were not. Additionally, conflict resolution strategies predicted lower levels of verbally abusive and physically abusive behaviors.     

Clinical Characteristics Associated with Suicidal Attempt and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury in Korean Adolescents

ObjectiveThis study evaluated the association between mood and anxiety symptoms and suicidal attempt (SA) and/or non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents seeking mental health services. We also tested predictors of SA and NSSI. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 220 adolescents who completed psychological assessment in clinical sample. Participants did the Adolescent General Behavior Inventory (A-GBI) and Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI). SA and NSSI were assessed retrospectively by interview. The caregiver of participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for themselves. Results17% of total participants had a history of SA, and 24% experienced NSSI. Both SA and NSSI were more common in girls. The score of depressive subscale on A-GBI was higher in adolescents with SA than those without. The participants with NSSI showed higher scores on CDI and depressive subscale on A-GBI than those without. SA was associated with maternal BDI and history of NSSI; female sex, depressive subscale on A-GBI, and history of SA with NSSI. ConclusionOur study found that NSSI and SA are strongly associated in adolescents. Female sex and depressive symptoms of the adolescents were also significantly associated with NSSI in Korean adolescent. Findings are consistent with patterns in other countries.     

ADHD and parental psychological distress: role of demographics,child behavioral characteristics,and parental cognitions

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the relative roles of demographic, child behavioral, and parental characteristics in understanding the psychological distress suffered by parents of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It was hypothesized that a combination of child and parent demographics, severity of child behavioral disturbance, low knowledge of ADHD, causal and controllability attributions internal to the child, along with lower perceived parental control, would be associated with more severe psychological distress, as measured by parenting stress and depression. METHOD: One hundred mothers were interviewed and provided ratings of behavioral disturbance, severity of ADHD, knowledge of ADHD, attributions of cause and controllability of ADHD-related behaviors, parenting stress and depression. RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that the combination of these variables was significantly associated with parental psychological distress, accounting for 24% and 21% of the variance in parenting stress and depression, respectively. Unique contributions were evident for severity of behavioral disturbance and perceived parental control over child behaviors. Child's age, gender, medication status, and maternal education were controlled in the analyses. CONCLUSION: Results support the view that interventions for ADHD aimed only at child behavior are unlikely to alter long-term outcome.     

Lead exposure and the 2010 achievement test scores of children in New York counties

Background

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a common concern among hospitalized adolescents, and can have significant implications for short and long-term prognosis. Little research has been devoted on how personality features in severely ill adolescents interact with NSSI and "attitude toward life and death" as a dimension of suicidality. Developing more specific assessment methodologies for adolescents who engage in self-harm without suicidal intent is relevant given the recent proposal of a non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) disorder and may be useful in predicting risk in psychiatrically impaired subjects.

Methods

Consecutively hospitalized adolescents in a psychiatric unit (N = 52; 71% females; age 12-19 years), reporting at least one recent episode of self-harm according to the Deliberate Self-harm Inventory, were administered the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Mental Disorders and Personality Disorders (SCID I and II), the Children's Depression Inventory and the Multi-Attitude Suicide Tendency Scale (MAST).

Results

Mean age onset of NSSI in the sample was 12.3 years. All patients showed "repetitive" NSSI (high frequency of self-harm), covering different modalities. Results revealed that 63.5% of adolescents met criteria for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) and that the rest of the sample also met criteria for personality disorders with dysregulated traits. History of suicide attempts was present in 46.1% of cases. Elevated depressive traits were found in 53.8%. Results show a statistically significant negative correlation between the score on the "Attraction to Life" subscale of the MAST and the frequency and diversification of self-harming behaviors.

Conclusions

Most adolescent inpatients with NSSI met criteria for emotionally dysregulated personality disorders, and showed a reduced "attraction to life" disposition and significant depressive symptoms. This peculiar psychopathological configuration must be addressed in the treatment of adolescent inpatients engaging in NSSI and taken into account for the prevention of suicidal behavior in self-injuring adolescents who do not exhibit an explicit intent to die.     

Identifying sensitive periods when changes in parenting and peer factors are associated with changes in adolescent alcohol and marijuana use

Purpose

There are well-established associations between parental/peer relationships and adolescent substance use, but few longitudinal studies have examined whether adolescents change their substance use in response to changes in their parents’ behavior or peer networks. We employ a within-person change approach to address two key questions: Are changes in parenting and peer factors associated with changes in adolescent marijuana and alcohol use? Are there sensitive periods when changes in parenting and peer factors are more strongly associated with changes in adolescent marijuana and alcohol use?

Methods

We analyzed longitudinal data collected annually on 503 boys, ages 13–19, recruited from Pittsburgh public schools. Questionnaires regarding parental supervision, negative parenting practices, parental stress, physical punishment, peer delinquency, and peer drug use were administered to adolescents and their caretakers. Alcohol and marijuana use were assessed by a substance use scale adapted from the National Youth Survey.

Results

Reductions in parental supervision and increases in peer drug use and peer delinquency were associated with increases in marijuana frequency, alcohol frequency, and alcohol quantity. Increases in parental stress were associated with increases in marijuana and alcohol frequency. The magnitudes of these relationships were strongest at ages 14–15 and systematically decreased across adolescence. These associations were not due to unmeasured stable confounders or measured time-varying confounders.

Conclusions

Reducing or mitigating changes in parenting and peer risk factors in early adolescence may be particularly important for preventing substance use problems as adolescents transition into young adulthood.

     

Parental background, social disadvantage, public "care," and psychological problems in adolescence and adulthood

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the structure of the parental background (birth, restructured, widowed, single) or the context (severe social disadvantage or care) in childhood is associated with psychological problems in adolescence and adulthood. METHOD: Data on 8,441 cohort members of the National Child Development Study were used to explore the impact of parental background on maladjustment at age 16, as assessed by the Rutter A Health and Behaviour Checklist, and psychological distress at age 33, as assessed by the Malaise Inventory. RESULTS: Restructured parenting (without disadvantage or care) was not a risk factor for maladjustment at age 16. Rather, a childhood experience of care or social disadvantage was significantly related to psychosocial problems at age 16. Psychological distress at age 33 was associated with maladjustment at age 16. A childhood experience of care was associated with a tendency to adult psychological distress in men, as was growing up with a single parent. CONCLUSIONS: It is not the structure of the family background but the context that is more strongly associated with maladjustment in adolescence. A childhood experience of single parenthood and an experience of care predicted adult psychological distress in men but not in women.     

Impact of parental emotional support and coercive control on adolescents' self-esteem and psychological distress: Results of a four-year longitudinal study

This study aims at investigating the impact of parental practices on youths' adjustment. In all, 605 adolescents completed questionnaires at ages 14, 16 and 18. Self-esteem, psychological distress as well as parental emotional support and coercive control were measured. Analyses based on individual growth models revealed that self-esteem increased with age, but psychological distress remained stable over time. Boys reported higher levels of self-esteem and lower levels of psychological distress than girls. Maternal and paternal emotional support reinforced self-esteem over time. Maternal coercive control undermined self-esteem, but only at ages 16 and 18. Psychological distress decreased with parental emotional support but increased with parental coercive control at ages 14, 16 and 18. Overall, these results indicate that positive parental practices are related to youths' well-being. These findings support the importance of establishing intervention strategies designed to promote best practices among parents of teenagers to help them develop into well-adjusted adults.     

Parental influence,pessimism and adolescent suicidality

Abstract

As part of a series of studies into the early detection of suicidal behaviour in adolescence, this study investigated relationships between adolescents' self-reports of perceived parental style, pessimism, and the spectrum of suicidal behaviour in a sample of Australian high school students (Mean age = 15.8). Three hundred and seven students completed a questionnaire that included demographic details. the Influential Relationships Questionnaire (IRQ), the Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Adolescent Suicide Questionnaire. There was a high level of suicidal behaviour reported with suicidal adolescents perceiving their pants to be significantly more critical, less caring and more overprotective. Multiple regression analyses examining a proposed pathway from perceived parental style to suicidality through the mediation of hopelessness found that both parental style and hopelessness made unique contributions to a composite suicidality score. The quality of parenting is relevant to the assessment of adolescent suicidality and the KRQ may be useful for the detection of perceived parenting difficulties in suicide prevention programmes.     

Clinical and personality characteristics of adolescents with anorexia nervosa with or without non-suicidal self-injurious behavior

PurposeAbout one-fifth of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) engage in non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). This study examined clinical and temperament profile of female adolescents with both disorders (AN+NSSI) as compared with peers with AN only.MethodsA consecutive sample of 73 female adolescents with AN (mean age: 13.77 years), who had been admitted to inpatient or day-hospital services, received clinical, cognitive, and temperament/character evaluations. Of them, 32 met DSM-5 criteria also for NSSI. Assessments included demographics, standard nutrition parameters, Youth Self-Report (YSR), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children IV (WISC-IV), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF).ResultsNo differences were detected between AN+NSSI and AN in demographics, body mass index, or age at onset of AN. AN+NSSI had higher rate of binging and purging, higher YSR scores for both internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, lower total IQ, and lower Self-directedness and Cooperativeness scores.ConclusionsThese data suggest that adolescents with AN+NSSI have psychopathological, cognitive and overall character features that differ from patients with AN only. These characteristics may have implications for treatment and outcome.     

Exploring mediating factors in the association between parental psychological distress and psychosocial maladjustment in adolescence

Abstract  

Parental psychopathology is associated with increased psychosocial maladjustment in adolescents. We examined, from a psychosocial perspective, the association between parental psychological distress and psychosocial maladjustment in adolescents and assessed the mediating role of psychosocial covariates. This is a cross-sectional survey and the setting include representative sample of Quebec adolescents in 1999. The participants of the study include 13- and 16-year-old children (N = 2,346) in the Social and Health Survey of Quebec Children and Adolescents. The main outcome measures are internalizing disorders, externalizing disorders, substance use, and alcohol consumption. For statistical analysis, we used structural equation modeling to test for mediation. Internalizing and externalizing disorders were significantly associated with parental psychological distress, but not substance use or alcohol consumption. The higher the parental distress, the higher the risk of adolescent mental health disorders. The association between parental psychological distress and internalizing disorders was mediated by adolescent self-esteem, parental emotional support and extrafamilial social support. As for externalizing disorders, these variables only had an independent effect. In conclusion, A family’s well being is a necessary condition for psychosocial adjustment in adolescence. Beyond the psychiatric approach, psychosocial considerations need to be taken into consideration to prevent negative mental health outcomes in children living in homes with distressed parents.     

Parental distress, parenting practices, and child adaptive outcomes following traumatic brain injury

Moderate and severe pediatric traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are associated with significant familial distress and child adaptive sequelae. Our aim was to examine the relationship between parental psychological distress, parenting practices (authoritarian, permissive, authoritative), and child adaptive functioning 12-36 months following TBI or orthopedic injury (OI). Injury type was hypothesized to moderate the relationship between parental distress and child adaptive functioning, demonstrating a significantly stronger relationship in the TBI relative to OI group. Authoritarian parenting practices were hypothesized to mediate relationship between parental distress and child adaptive functioning across groups. Groups (TBI n = 21, OI n = 23) did not differ significantly on age at injury, time since injury, sex, race, or SES. Parents completed the Brief Symptom Inventory, Parenting Practices Questionnaire, and Vineland-II. Moderation and mediation hypotheses were tested using hierarchical multiple regression and a bootstrapping approach, respectively. Results supported moderation and revealed that higher parental psychological distress was associated with lower child adaptive functioning in the TBI group only. Mediation results indicated that higher parental distress was associated with authoritarian parenting practices and lower adaptive functioning across groups. Results suggest that parenting practices are an important area of focus for studies attempting to elucidate the relationship between parent and child functioning following TBI.     

Conduct disorder in girls: neighborhoods, family characteristics, and parenting behaviors

Background

Little is known about the social context of girls with conduct disorder (CD), a question of increasing importance to clinicians and researchers. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between three social context domains (neighborhood, family characteristics, and parenting behaviors) and CD in adolescent girls, additionally testing for race moderation effects. We predicted that disadvantaged neighborhoods, family characteristics such as parental marital status, and parenting behaviors such as negative discipline would characterize girls with CD. We also hypothesized that parenting behaviors would mediate the associations between neighborhood and family characteristics and CD.

Methods

We recruited 93 15–17 year-old girls from the community and used a structured psychiatric interview to assign participants to a CD group (n = 52) or a demographically matched group with no psychiatric disorder (n = 41). Each girl and parent also filled out questionnaires about neighborhood, family characteristics, and parenting behaviors.

Results

Neighborhood quality was not associated with CD in girls. Some family characteristics (parental antisociality) and parenting behaviors (levels of family activities and negative discipline) were characteristic of girls with CD, but notll. There was no moderation by race. Our hypothesis that the association between family characteristics and CD would be mediated by parenting behaviors was not supported.

Conclusion

This study expanded upon previous research by investigating multiple social context domains in girls with CD and by selecting a comparison group who were not different in age, social class, or race. When these factors are thus controlled, CD in adolescent girls is not significantly associated with neighborhood, but is associated with some family characteristics and some types of parental behaviors. However, the mechanisms underlying these relationships need to be further investigated. We discuss possible explanations for our findings and suggest directions for future research.     

Understanding perceptions underlying the self-reported stress among parents of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: Considerations for supporting families

BackgroundParents raising adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often report higher stress than other parents. The influence of parents’ internal, or cognitive, experiences (i.e., their own perceptions) on this elevated stress has yet to be explored. Addressing this gap may reveal opportunities for enhancing support for families by elucidating malleable targets for reducing parents’ self-reported stress and/or informing family-focused intervention. The Double ABCX Model of Family Adaptation is a framework for understanding how perceptions, social support, and personal resources (i.e., coping) may affect stress.MethodsWe examined parents’ perceptions about ASD, perceived support, and coping among 214 parents of adolescents with ASD. Regression analyses were used to explore whether these factors were associated with parenting stress among those raising adolescents with ASD. Moderation effects of positive coping on the relationship between parent perceptions and parenting stress were also explored.ResultsParent perceptions about within family support, the extent of ASD symptom predictability, and treatment being able to ‘control’ ASD were related to parenting stress. However, positive coping did not moderate the relationship between these perceptions and parenting stress.ConclusionsStudy findings emphasize significant associations between specific parental perceptions and the self-reported stress among families of adolescents with ASD. Particularly important to parenting stress were how much parents’ perceived adequate support within the family, that treatment was useful for controlling their adolescent’s ASD, and that their adolescent’s symptoms were predictable. These findings suggest that the way parents think about their adolescents’ ASD and the adequacy of the support within their own families are associated with parenting stress, and therefore may serve as treatment targets for positively affecting whole family outcomes, as well as foundations for additional research.