Abstract - 'The relationship between autism and parenting stress'

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Pediatrics. 2007 Feb;119 Suppl 1:S114-21.

The relationship between autism and parenting stress.

Schieve LA, Blumberg SJ, Rice C, Visser SN, Boyle C.

National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities,

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop E-86, 1600

Clifton Rd, Atlanta, GA 30333. lschieve@....

OBJECTIVE. We assessed associations between parenting a child with

autism and stress indicators. METHODS. In the 2003 National Survey

of Children's Health, parents or other knowledgeable adult

respondents for children aged 4 to 17 years reported their recent

feelings about their life sacrifices to care for their child,

difficulty caring for their child, frustration with their child's

actions, and anger toward their child. Responses were compiled in

the Aggravation in Parenting Scale. Parents of children reported to

have autism (N = 459) were compared with parents of: (1) children

with special health care needs including emotional, developmental,

or behavioral problems other than autism that necessitated treatment

(children with other developmental problems [N = 4545]); (2)

children with special health care needs without developmental

problems (N = 11475); and (3) children without special health care

needs (N = 61826). Weighted estimates are presented. RESULTS.

Parents of children with autism were more likely to score in the

high aggravation range (55%) than parents of children with

developmental problems other than autism (44%), parents of children

with special health care needs without developmental problems (12%),

and parents of children without special health care needs (11%).

However, within the autism group, the proportion of parents with

high aggravation was 66% for those whose child recently needed

special services and 28% for those whose child did not. The parents

of children with autism and recent special service needs were

substantially more likely to have high aggravation than parents of

children with recent special service needs in each of the 3

comparison groups. Conversely, parents of children with autism but

without recent special service needs were not more likely to have

high aggravation than parents of children with other developmental

problems. CONCLUSIONS. Parenting a child with autism with recent

special service needs seems to be associated with unique stresses.