Parenting Stress in Autistic and ADHD Children: Implications of Social Support and Child Characteristics.
Ana Pardo-Salamanca, Eva Rosa-Martínez, Soledad Gómez and 2 others
PMID 38700780WHAT IT FOUND
Mothers of autistic children and children with ADHD reported much higher parenting stress and lower social support than mothers of typically developing children.
Confidant support was the only factor associated with lower parenting stress in both clinical groups.
Key findings
01On average, mothers of children with ASD and ADHD exceeded the 90-point clinically significant parenting stress threshold, while mothers of TD children did not.
02Mothers of children with ASD and ADHD reported lower confidant and affective social support than mothers of TD children, with no significant difference between the two clinical groups.
03In regression models for both clinical groups, confidant support was the only factor that predicted lower parenting stress.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study measured parenting stress at one time only, so it cannot show whether confidant support caused lower stress or whether stress reduced support. Mothers reported all variables, so their own perception of stress or support may have influenced how they rated child difficulties. The sample was 120 mothers in Spain, mostly co-parents, and only included children with IQ of 80 or above, so results may not apply to fathers, single parents, other countries, or children with intellectual disability. The clinical groups did not include children with both ASD and ADHD, and many children were taking medication (79% of ADHD group psychostimulant, 40.4% of ASD group antipsychotic), which the study did not separate. No intervention was tested, so findings are associations, not evidence that improving social support reduces parenting stress.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read confidant support as a proven cause of lower parenting stress. The study was cross-sectional, used only mothers' reports, and did not test any intervention.