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Predictors of maternal stress in pre-school and school-aged children with autism |
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| Authors: | Lidan Zheng Rachel Grove Valsamma Eapen |
| Institution: | 1. The School of Psychiatry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia;2. Cooperative Research Centre for Living with Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, Queensland, Australia;3. Academic Unit of Child Psychiatry South West Sydney (AUCS), South West Sydney Local Health District, Liverpool Hospital, ICAMHS, Mental Health Centre (Level L1), Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia |
| Abstract: | Background: Mothers of children with autism experience high levels of stress. However, little is known about whether maternal stressors differ across children of different ages. Method: This study investigated stressors in mothers of 29 pre-school-aged and 27 school-aged children with autism. Correlation and regression analyses were used to determine if maternal stressors differed between the two age groups. Results: Findings revealed no difference in maternal stress levels across the two age groups; however, stressors for each age group were different. Stressors in the school-aged group were related to repetitive behaviours, sensory sensitivities, and problematic behaviours, while stressors in the pre-school-aged group were mainly related to adaptive behaviours. Conclusions: These findings are informative for practitioners and highlight the need for tailored supports and therapies for mothers of children with autism of different ages. |
| Keywords: | Autism spectrum disorder maternal stress behavioural problems sensory processing adaptive behaviours repetitive behaviours |