Chaotic family environments and depressive symptoms in parents of autistic children: The protective role of optimism

Abstract

BackgroundRaising an autistic child is associated with increased parenting stress and higher rates of depression for both mothers and fathers. While most research has focused on the challenges related to having an autistic child, such as higher rates of chaotic family environments, an emerging body of research has begun to examine the protective effects of optimism to reduce the negative impact on parent mental health. MethodA total of 133 mothers and 78 fathers of autistic children between the ages of 2–10 years participated in the study. Parents answered questionnaires related to their family functioning, dispositional optimism, and depressive symptoms. ResultsResults found a significant family chaotic environment X optimism X parent gender interaction. For mothers and fathers, higher levels of chaotic family environment were associated with increased depressive symptoms whereas increased levels of optimism were associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms. However, optimism was only protective for mothers and not for fathers. ConclusionsThe results highlight the need for the inclusion of optimism in parent-focused interventions.