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Mental health, broad autism phenotype and psychological inflexibility in mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder in Australia: A cross-sectional survey
Autism ( IF 6.684 ) Pub Date : 2021-01-28 , DOI: 10.1177/1362361320984625
Kavindri Kulasinghe 1 , Koa Whittingham 1 , Amy E Mitchell 2
Affiliation  

Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder are more likely to have features of the broad autism phenotype and adverse mental health outcomes. The broad autism phenotype can contribute to poorer mental health; however, the mechanism behind this relationship remains uncertain. This study investigated both the predictors of mental health and the relationship between the broad autism phenotype and mental health symptoms in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. This cross-sectional survey recruited 232 Australian mothers (⩾18 years) of children with autism spectrum disorder (0–10 years) and assessed maternal broad autism phenotype, mental health, adult attachment style, degree of social support and parenting experience. Hierarchical multiple regressions, t-tests, correlations and mediation analyses were conducted. Psychological inflexibility was the greatest unique predictor of anxious, depressive and stress symptomatology. Challenging parenting experiences predicted depressive, anxious and stress symptomatology while the broad autism phenotype also uniquely predicted anxious symptoms. Both psychological inflexibility and challenging parenting experiences were significant mediators of the relationships between the broad autism phenotype and depressive symptoms and between the broad autism phenotype and anxiety. Psychological inflexibility alone mediated the relationship between the broad autism phenotype and stress. Targeting psychological inflexibility and supporting parenting are promising avenues for future interventions to support the mental health of mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder.

Lay abstract

Mothers of children with autism tend to have poorer mental health outcomes compared to most mothers. Lack of social support, parenting challenges and relationship difficulties are more common for mothers of children with autism and can all affect maternal mental health. Mothers of children with autism are also more likely to have some autistic features, called the broad autism phenotype, that can contribute to poorer mental health; however, how these factors relate to one another are unclear. This study found that mothers who were less flexible in their thinking and behaviour and had more difficult parenting experiences tended to have poorer mental health. Mothers with more autistic features were less flexible in their thinking and behaviour, which, in turn, was linked to greater symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Mothers with greater autistic features also reported more difficult parenting experiences, which was in turn linked with greater symptoms of anxiety and depression. This study suggests that supporting mothers of young children with autism to manage parenting challenges and become more flexible with their thinking and behaviour could help to improve their mental health.



中文翻译:

澳大利亚自闭症谱系障碍幼儿母亲的心理健康、广泛的自闭症表型和心理僵化:一项横断面调查

自闭症谱系障碍儿童的母亲更有可能具有广泛的自闭症表型和不良心理健康结果的特征。广泛的自闭症表型会导致较差的心理健康;然而,这种关系背后的机制仍然不确定。本研究调查了患有自闭症谱系障碍儿童的母亲的心理健康预测因素以及广泛的自闭症表型与心理健康症状之间的关系。这项横断面调查招募了 232 名患有自闭症谱系障碍(0-10 岁)的澳大利亚母亲(⩾ 18 岁),并评估了母亲广泛的自闭症表型、心理健康、成人依恋风格、社会支持程度和养育经验。分层多元回归,t- 进行了测试、相关性和中介分析。心理不灵活是焦虑、抑郁和压力症状的最大独特预测因素。具有挑战性的育儿经历预测了抑郁、焦虑和压力症状,而广泛的自闭症表型也独特地预测了焦虑症状。心理僵化和富有挑战性的育儿经历都是广泛自闭症表型与抑郁症状之间以及广泛自闭症表型与焦虑之间关系的重要中介因素。心理不灵活本身介导了广泛的自闭症表型与压力之间的关系。

摘要

与大多数母亲相比,患有自闭症儿童的母亲的心理健康状况往往较差。对于自闭症儿童的母亲来说,缺乏社会支持、养育挑战和人际关系困难更为常见,都会影响母亲的心理健康。自闭症儿童的母亲也更有可能有一些自闭症特征,称为广泛自闭症表型,这可能导致心理健康状况不佳;然而,这些因素如何相互关联尚不清楚。这项研究发现,思维和行为不那么灵活且育儿经历更困难的母亲往往心理健康状况较差。具有更多自闭症特征的母亲在思维和行为上的灵活性较差,这反过来又与抑郁、焦虑和压力的更大症状有关。患有更多自闭症特征的母亲也报告了更困难的育儿经历,这反过来又与更严重的焦虑和抑郁症状有关。这项研究表明,支持患有自闭症的幼儿的母亲应对育儿挑战并在思维和行为上变得更加灵活,可能有助于改善他们的心理健康。

更新日期:2021-01-28
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