Acceptance or Despair? Maternal Adjustment to Having a Child Diagnosed with Autism.
Nikko S Da Paz, Bryna Siegel, Michael A Coccia and 1 others
PMID 29307036WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers whose acceptance of their child's autism diagnosis increased over 18 months reported fewer depressive symptoms.
Reductions in self-blame and despair were linked to higher life satisfaction and lower caregiving burden. This observational study cannot prove these mindset shifts caused the improvements.
Key findings
01Improvements in acceptance of the diagnosis over time were significantly associated with reductions in depressive symptoms.
02Reductions in self-blame over time were associated with increases in satisfaction with life.
03Reductions in despair over time were associated with improvements in caregiving burden, parental stress, and satisfaction with life.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is observational and cannot determine causality; it is possible that reduced depression led to greater acceptance rather than the other way around. The sample was limited to mothers, excluding fathers and other caregivers. Participants were predominantly college-educated Caucasian women with high incomes, limiting generalizability to diverse demographic backgrounds. ASD diagnosis was verified solely by parent report rather than clinical evaluation. All measures were self-reported, which may introduce bias.
Declared interests
All authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret these associations as evidence that interventions targeting acceptance or reducing self-blame will cause improvements in maternal mental health. The study is observational, and the direction of effect is not proven. Additionally, the sample was highly specific (college-educated, Caucasian, high-income mothers), so these findings may not apply to all families.