Abstract
Parents of children with autism often have their own support needs. Informal social support can be an important component of managing parenting-related stressors. We know very little about the factors that lead to higher levels of perceived social support or the potential reciprocal relationship social support has with other factors in parents of children with autism. The current longitudinal study examined the reciprocal relations of perceived social support and parent stress and child behavior problems across a 1-year period, using three time points. There was remarkable stability in variables over time. Baseline perceived social support significantly predicted changes in child behavior and parent stress at the 6-month time point, but neither of those variables significantly predicted social support. This study adds to our understanding of social support and clarifies how perceived social support relates to other factors longitudinally.
Highlights
The benefits of social support are well-documented for parents of individuals with autism [e.g., [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]]
While we expected stability in terms of child behavior problems, we considered that their presence would lead to changes in perceived social support over time, and that changes in support would lead to changes in behavior problems
Higher perceived social support was significantly related to lower levels of parent stress (r = −0.44 p < 0.001) and child behavior problems (r = −0.17, p = 0.01)
Summary
The benefits of social support are well-documented for parents of individuals with autism [e.g., [1,2,3,4,5,6,7]]. Perceived support is consistently linked to well-being in parents, including lower levels of stress [12], depressive symptoms [13], distress [14], and increased self-confidence [15]. This pattern is found in parents of people with autism as well [2], with perceived support being associated with lower mental health problems and greater life satisfaction and general well-being, in both mothers and fathers [4, 16,17,18,19]. One of the most commonly studied correlates of perceived support is parents’ stress [20], broadly defined as the distress, discomfort, or arousal experienced in response to perceived demands
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
