An Early Childhood Parent-Mediated Intervention: How Child and Family Factors Relate to Stress and Chaos

• In Event: Poster Session 05
  In Poster Session: PS 05 Topic - Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have consistently reported high levels of parenting-related stress. However, parents of children at-risk for ASD may also face similar challenges and stressors that may impact treatment adherence when training parents as interventionists. Understanding risk factors for increased parental stress and family chaos before a formal ASD diagnosis may inform how researchers/practitioners address and effectively reduce the associated negative cascade and optimize intervention impact. To inform prospective parent-mediated interventions (PMIs) for children developing at-risk for ASD, this study investigates how parent-reported indices of parenting stress and family chaos relate to children’s developmental concerns and adaptive functioning at enrollment. Specifically, this study assessed associations between parenting stress and family chaos with: (Aim 1) family characteristics, (Aim 2) parental enrollment concerns about their child’s development, and (Aim 3) children’s adaptive functioning skills.

Forty-two children participated in an ongoing family-routines based PMI (27 males; M age=27.9 months; Range: 8-61). At enrollment, mothers completed a series of standardized questionnaires including the Parenting Stress Index-4 Short Form (PSI-4 SF), the Confusion, Hubbub, and Order Scale (CHAOS), and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS). Mothers also completed a detailed family demographic form and reported their primary concerns about their child’s development. A majority of mothers in our sample were highly educated (M=16.6 years, Range: 12-20), were approximately 32.6 years old at their child’s birth (Range: 23.2-48.8) and reported household incomes between $20,000 to $60,000. Families were somewhat diverse with 76.2% White, 16.7% Asian, 2.4% Black or African American, 2.4% mixed race, and 2.4% undisclosed.

Bivariate correlations and linear regression models were conducted to explore the relationships of family and child factors to parental stress and family chaos. Overall, family chaos was positively correlated with PSI total scores and subscale scores, indicating mothers endorsed greater environmental confusion in the home also endorsed more stress (see Table 1). For Aim 1, family characteristics, as indexed by household income, maternal education, and maternal race, were not associated with parenting stress or family chaos. Specific to Aim 2, among the parental concerns, language was significantly associated with parental distress and defensive responding, such that parents with more language concerns reported feeling less distressed and responded less defensively. In addition, ASD concerns were significantly correlated with reported dysfunctional interaction and difficult child concerns; wherein, parents who had greater ASD concerns perceived their child as more difficult and had more dysfunctional interactions with them. For adaptive functioning (Aim 3), children with higher scores on the daily living skills domain were perceived by their caregiver as less difficult (Table 2).

Overall, findings from this study indicate that while family characteristics at enrollment did not directly predict parental stress and family chaos; however, ASD related concerns and poor daily living skills may be indicative of greater parental stress. The association between language concern and parental stress needs to be further examined. Future research may build upon this study by further identifying sources of parental stress that could be targeted in PMIs to improve child and family outcomes.

Authors

• Mehreen Zehra Hassan, Purdue University, West Lafayette
  Presenting Author

• Ashleigh M. Kellerman, Purdue University, West Lafayette
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christi Masters, Purdue University
  Non-Presenting Author

• AJ Schwichtenberg, Purdue University, West Lafayette
  Non-Presenting Author