Parenting stress in caregivers of young children with concerns about ASD prior to a formal diagnostic evaluation

Abstract

Robust findings demonstrate that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience high levels of parenting stress that are related to negative outcomes for families. Although the majority of research on parenting stress has focused on parents of children with a current ASD diagnosis, parents of young children with concerns about ASD-related behaviors also face many unique challenges before the child receives a formal ASD diagnostic evaluation. However, no study to date has examined patterns of parenting stress among parents of children with ASD concerns prior to a formal ASD diagnosis. Therefore, the current study investigated longitudinal trajectories of parenting stress among parents of young children with ASD concerns compared to parents of children with non-ASD developmental concerns (e.g., language delay), and parents of children with no developmental concerns. Known predictors of parenting stress were also examined. Results revealed that parents of children with ASD concerns experienced consistently higher levels of parenting stress across early child development compared to parents of children with non-ASD developmental concerns and children with no concerns. Additionally, parenting efficacy, parent psychological functioning, parent social quality of life, and child social communication behaviors predicted levels of parenting stress for all parents.