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Autism Moms Stress Like Soldiers, Families Bring Strength

Families bring important strengths in coping and adjusting to new diagnoses of Autism, a recent study finds. Though studies previously have assessed stress levels in mothers and fathers of children with Autism, the influence of their mental and emotional state on their parenting experience has been overlooked. Researchers at the Studies to Advance Autism Research and Treatment (STAART) Center at Boston University studied 108 parent respondents consisting of mostly married mothers and fathers. Mothers were given questionnaires and interviews, while fathers did not participate in the interview portions. The goal of the study is to assess mothers and fathers’ stress and depression levels in conjunction with newly diagnosed children with Autism. The study found that cognitive functioning, communication difficulties, and atypical behavior were “not uniquely associated with the stress of mothers and fathers.” The emotional state of parents does not play a significant role in parents’ appraisal and reaction to children’s behavior. What does contribute to parental stress is “social relatedness”, e.g. social connections, researchers say. In previous research mentioned by the Boston University study, mothers rated their own stress levels significantly lower than researchers rated them. The self-assessment by mothers indicates that there is seperation between the perceptions of researchers and how stressed a parent may actually feel. Another recent article appearing on Disability Scoop reports that mothers of children with Autism experience stress levels likened to combat soldiers. The study found that stress hormones appeared in extremely low levels in mothers of Autistic children, levels similar to chronic stress situations, like soldiers in combat. These mothers have schedules that appear to be more stressful. “On a day-to-day basis, the mothers in our study experience more stressful events and have less time for themselves compared to the average American mother,” says Leann Smith, a researcher at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. What Smith’s research indicates, however, is that the low levels of stress hormones indicates that mothers are less stressed in these situations. These studies emphasize a relationship between stress management in parenting, but also indicate that a child’s behavior does not necessarily control how parents assess their behavior or react to it. What both studies stress is a call for programs to assist parents with children newly diagnosed with Autism and veteran parents alike. “We need to find more ways to be supportive of these families,” says Smith.  In other words, socialization and respite for parents and children could have a profound impact on the stress levels of the entire family.