Optimizing Parents’ Romantic Relationships in the Context of Broad Autism Phenotype

• In Event: Implications of the Broad Autism Phenotype in Parents with a Child with ASD for Family Functioning

Abstract

The presence and quality of romantic relationships is a robust predictor of adult physical and mental well-being (Carr & Springer, 2010). It has long been known that certain traits (e.g., neuroticism) or conditions (e.g., depression) are associated with difficulties establishing positive and lasting romantic relationships. Recent evidence suggests that broad autism phenotype (BAP) traits are also linked to negative romantic relationship outcomes including low marital satisfaction (Pruitt, Rhoden, & Ekas, 2018). BAP refers to sub-clinical autism traits such as rigid and inflexible behaviors, social-emotional communication challenges, and pragmatic language difficulties (Losh & Piven, 2007). An elevated level of BAP traits is present in approximately 14-23% of parents of children with ASD and 5-9% of adults in the general population (Sasson et al., 2013). There is a need to identify the specific romantic relationship behaviors affected by BAP. In the current study, actor-partner interdependence models (APIM) were used to examine the association between one’s own and one’s partner's BAP traits and dyadic coping (i.e., how couples work together to solve problems) in parent couples. Both partners in 367 couples were included in analyses. Approximately half of these couples had a child with ASD (N = 184) and half had typically developing children (N = 183). Analyses involved data collected at Time 1 of a longitudinal study. Parents independently completed the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ; Hurley, Losh, Parlier, Reznick, & Piven, 2007) and Dyadic Coping Index (DCI; Bodenmann, 2008). APIM models were conducted in HLM with positive and negative dyadic coping as the dependent variables. Level 1 (within couple): gender, actor BAP, partner BAP, and the interactions of gender x actor BAP and gender x partner BAP. Level 2 (between couple): household income, child ASD status, and couple relationship length. Actor BAP was significantly associated with dyadic coping; mothers/fathers with higher BAP reported using less positive and more negative dyadic coping. Partner BAP was also significantly associated with dyadic coping. Gender moderated the effect of partner BAP on positive dyadic coping. Specifically, mothers who had a partner with high BAP traits reported using less positive dyadic coping than mothers who had a partner with low BAP traits. In contrast, partner BAP was not associated with positive dyadic coping in fathers. Child ASD status did not moderate the above effects; thus, the impact of BAP traits on dyadic coping is similar across parent couples with and without a child with ASD. BAP traits (both one’s own and one’s partner’s) may alter romantic relationships by making it difficult for parents to work together to solve problems. This appears to be true regardless of whether there was a child with ASD in the home. These findings are relevant to marital support programs; teaching dyadic coping strategies may enhance romantic relationship outcomes in adults with BAP traits.

Authors

• Jennifer M Putney, University of Wisconsin - Madison
  Presenting Author

• Sigan Hartley, University of Wisconsin
  Non-Presenting Author