Poster #46 - Maternal Education, Economic Stress, and Autism Spectrum Disorder: Findings in a State-Wide Community Sample

• In Event: 3-159 - Poster Session 12
  In Poster Session: PS 12 Section - Developmental Disabilities

Integrative Statement

Background: Across the lifespan, families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face significant health and education-related expenses (Lavelle, 2014). This is compounded by the potential effect of an ASD diagnosis on parental employment. There is evidence that mothers of children with ASD may reduce working hours or cease employment permanently as a result of their children’s diagnosis (Leiter, 2004) and may earn significantly less than mothers of children without any health limitations (Cidav 2012). Annual incomes of families affected by ASD may be significantly lower than families not affected by ASD, particularly when parental education and other demographic factors are considered (Montes, 2008).
Objectives: To compare percentages of maternal education and financial stress in families affected by ASD using the Rhode Island Consortium for Autism Research and Treatment (RI-CART) with maternal education and financial stress in typical Rhode Island families.
Methods: This study analyzed data from families enrolled in RI-CART, a state-wide community-based sample. RI-CART participants came from varied racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. Enrollees completed demographic surveys as well as behavioral and cognitive measures. Participants included in this analysis (n = 998) had a formal diagnosis and/or met criteria on a standardized diagnostic assessment (ADOS-2). Rhode Island educational attainment and financial stress data were derived from the 2016 U.S. Census and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Results: The average educational attainment of mothers in the RI-CART sample was significantly higher than that of the general population of Rhode Island. 92.4% of mothers in the RI-CART sample had a high school diploma or higher, compared to 85.4% of adults in Rhode Island (χ²=20.4, p<.001), and 47.9% of mothers reported having a standard college degree or higher, compared to 30.0% of adults in Rhode Island (χ²=158.0, p<.001). Only 9.3% of RI-CART families reported annual incomes below the federal poverty line—this was significantly lower than the 13.0% of Rhode Island families below the poverty line (χ²=10.6, p<.001). In contrast, 29.7% of RI-CART families reported economic stress, as defined by annual incomes below 200% of the federal poverty line. This was significantly higher than the 26.0% of families in Rhode Island with annual incomes below 200% of the federal poverty line (χ²=6.2, p<.001). Further analyses will examine potential predictors of discrepancies between maternal education and household income.
Conclusions: Despite mothers in the RI-CART sample achieving significantly higher levels of educational attainment than adults in Rhode Island, RI-CART families reported significantly higher rates of economic stress. These results support previous findings that families of children with ASD experience greater economic stress than families of typically developing children. Due to lack of adequate care, absence of accommodations in the average workplace, and/or poor support services, families affected by ASD face difficult choices regarding employment that may severely limit their earning potential. Providers, policymakers, and other state and federal community-stakeholders must consider the substantial expense and caregiver burden associated with raising a child with ASD when evaluating current resources, health care systems, and policies for families affected by ASD (Mandell, 2012).

Authors

• Monica Sofia Trevino, Brown University
  Presenting Author

• Rebecca Bradley, Brown University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Elaine Clarke, Brown University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Giulia Righi, Brown University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Stephen Sheinkopf, Brown University
  Non-Presenting Author