Autistic mothers' perinatal well-being and parenting styles.
Sarah Hampton, Carrie Allison, Ezra Aydin and 2 others
PMID 35105233WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic mothers reported significantly higher stress and anxiety than non-autistic mothers throughout pregnancy and the first six months after birth.
Depression scores were also higher, though not significantly so at specific time-points. Parenting confidence and most parenting styles did not differ between groups.
Key findings
01Autistic mothers had significantly higher stress scores than non-autistic mothers at all three time-points (prenatal, 2-3 months, and 6 months postpartum).
02Autistic mothers scored significantly higher on anxiety than non-autistic mothers at 2-3 months and 6 months postpartum, but not prenatally.
03There was no significant difference in parenting confidence between autistic and non-autistic mothers, although a slightly greater percentage of autistic mothers scored in the clinical range for low confidence.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample size was small (fewer than 30 participants per group at most time-points), which reduces statistical power and may explain some null findings. The autistic and non-autistic groups were not well matched; the autistic group was younger, had lower income and education, and had higher rates of prior psychiatric diagnoses, which may confound the results. Mental health symptoms prior to pregnancy were not measured, so it is unclear if the differences reflect perinatal-specific vulnerability or pre-existing conditions. Attrition occurred over time, with different numbers of participants completing each stage of the study.
Declared interests
The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. Funding was provided by the Autism Research Trust, the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust, and other charitable and governmental bodies.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume autistic mothers have poorer parenting skills or lower confidence. The study found no significant difference in parenting confidence or most parenting styles between autistic and non-autistic mothers, despite the higher mental health symptoms reported by the autistic group.