Broader autism phenotype and couple interactions in parents of children with autism.
Sigan L Hartley, Emily J Hickey, Leann DaWalt and 1 others
PMID 30995078WHAT IT FOUND
In parents of children with autism, fathers' autism-related traits were linked to poorer couple problem-solving: lower observed enjoyment, cooperation, balance, and overall quality, plus lower positive and higher negative mood in both parents.
Mothers' traits showed no such links.
Key findings
01Fathers with higher broader autism traits had couples rated lower on Enjoyment, Cooperation, Balance, and Global Quality.
02Fathers with higher broader autism traits reported less positive and more negative mood after the couple discussion, and their partners reported less positive and more negative mood.
03Mothers showed greater skin conductance reactivity during the couple discussion when fathers had higher broader autism traits.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample was mainly European, non-Hispanic, and well-educated, so it may not represent other families. Couples had to remain together until their child with autism was aged 5 to 12 years, so parents with high broader autism traits who separated earlier were not captured. Parent broader autism traits were self-reported, so partner or observed ratings may have been different. Skin conductance reactivity can also reflect positive emotional arousal, not only distress. 14 parents were missing skin conductance data, and couples included at the second time point had higher maternal education than those who did not participate.
Declared interests
The supplied text does not include an author conflict-of-interest declaration. The publication types list research support from N.I.H. extramural and non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these findings as evidence that fathers' autism-related traits cause poorer couple problem-solving. The study measured associations in couples still together at the second data collection time point, and it did not compare a treatment group with a control group.