Positive and negative social exchanges experienced by fathers and mothers of children with autism.
Emily J Hickey, Lindsay Dubois, Sigan L Hartley
PMID 28326797WHAT IT FOUND
Parents of children with autism reported spouse as both the biggest source of support and friction.
Negative emotional exchanges were associated with depressive symptoms; positive exchanges were not, except lower spouse support was tied to higher symptoms in mothers.
Key findings
01Both mothers and fathers reported the highest levels of positive and negative social exchanges with their spouse and the lowest levels with health professionals.
02Higher negative emotional social exchanges were associated with higher depressive symptoms in mothers and fathers, and higher negative instrumental social exchanges were associated with higher depressive symptoms in fathers.
03Positive social exchanges were not associated with depressive symptoms by type, but lower positive exchanges with spouse were associated with higher depressive symptoms in mothers.
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 cross-sectional, so it cannot show whether depression leads to more negative exchanges or vice versa. Most families were White, non-Hispanic, and of middle socio-economic status, so the results may not apply to other backgrounds. The sample mostly included married heterosexual couples, so it does not cover same-sex couples, non-married couples, or single parents. Parents rated perceived social exchanges over the past month, and no instructions were given about which health professionals to count, so health professionals could mean different people. Depressive symptoms were self-reported on a screening scale, not a clinical diagnosis.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding statement is included in the supplied text. The publication types list NIH extramural support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as evidence that giving parents more advice or help lowers depression. Positive exchanges by type were not associated with parental depressive symptoms, and the cross-sectional design cannot show cause.