Research: Parental Stress Associated with Caring for Children with Asperger’s Syndrome or Autism

Authored by Mori, K., Ujiie T., Smith A., and Howlin P. in Pediatrics International, Volume 51, Issue 3, p. 364-370, (2009).

Article summary (posted Mar 25, 2010):

Family therapy such as stress management, problem solving training, and supportive counseling may help parents manage the stress associated with autism and Asperger’s syndrome.

The aim of this study was to describe the stress of parents caring for children with Asperger’s syndrome and compare it to the stress of parents caring for children with autism. The study had 238 autism families and 38 Asperger’s syndrome families in Japan. The study found that while both groups of parents were stressed, more parents of children with Asperger’s syndrome (67%) were highly stressed than were parents of children with autism (57%). The study found that the parent’s stress was not related to the child’s IQ. The increased stress in parents of children with Asperger’s syndrome was believed to be due to a longer process and therefore delay in diagnosis as well as fewer support options.

Links:

You can access the original abstract and the complete paper is sometimes available for free via Google Scholar (look for entries that say "PDF" or "HTML" on the right side of the page).
Asperger Syndrome, autism, family, family therapy, intelligence, parent, problem solving, stress, therapy
Share |