Correlation between Child Behavior and Depression in Mother with Autism Spectrum Disorders Child
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26911/thejmch.2021.06.04.09Abstract
Background: The behavioural characteristics of an autistic child can lead to challenging relationships with the mother. For mothers who serve as the key person in the care of their children with ASD, maintaining good mental health, which may be directly related to the growth and development of their children, is an important issue for professionals engaged in parenting support. The aim of this study was to determine the interaction between the behavioural problems of children with ASD (from toddlers to adolescents) and their mothers’ depression.
Subjects and Method: This was a cross-sectional study carried out in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. The recruitment of subjects was through a paediatric out-patient unit. Eighty-six mothers with ASD participated in this observational study. The Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression (CES-D) scale was used as a measure of depression in mothers, and the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) was used as an assessment of the children’s behavioral characteristics. The prevalence of depression among mothers of children with ASD was estimated and related factors were also examined.
Results: There were 66 boys (76.7%), 12 girls (14.0%) and 8 (9.3%) non-responders. Comparing the pre- adolescent and adolescent groups, there were significant differences in the ages of mothers and children (P <0.001). In this study, the prevalence rate of depression in mothers of children with ASD was 47.7% (95% CI= 36.8 to 58.7), and the prevalence rate of depression in mothers of adolescent children group was 48.6% (95% CI= 31.4 to 6.0). The predictive factors of maternal depression were others’ problems (toileting problems, and masturbation) in CBCL and children’s age group.
Conclusion: These children’s behavioural characteristics were recognised as serious problems by their mothers, which in turn can negatively affect their mental health, particularly the depression of mothers in the adolescent group was probably due to concerns about their children’s unsocial behaviour.
Keywords:
Mental health, behavioural problems, pre-adolescent, adolescentReferences
Aitken M (2019). Clinical utility of the CBCL Dysregulation Profile in children with disruptive behavior. J Affect Disord. 253:87–95. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2019.04.034.
American Psychiatric Association (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth edition DSM5). American Psychiatric Association, Arlington.
Ayers S, Bond R, Webb R, Miller P, Bateson K (2019). Perinatal mental health and risk of child maltreatment: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Child Abuse Negl. 98: 104172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104172.
Costa AP, Steffgen G, Ferring D (2017). Contributors to well-being and stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Res Autism Spectr Disord. 37: 61–72. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2017.01.007.
Cuzzocrea F, Cuzzocrea F, Murdaca AM, Costa S, Filippello P, Larcan R (2016). Parental stress, coping strategies and social support in families of children with a disability. Child Care Pract. 22(1): 3–19. https://doi.org/ 10.1080/13575279.2015.1064357.
Gobrial E (2018). The lived experiences of mothers of children with the autism spectrum disorders in Egypt. Soc Sci. 7(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci7080133.
Havdahl KA, von Tetzchner S, Huerta M, Lord C, Bishop SL (2016). Utility of the child behavior checklist as a screener for autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res. 9(1): 33–42. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1515.
Jahan S, Araf K, Gozal D, Griffiths MD, Mamun MA (2020). Depression and suicidal behaviors among Bangladeshi mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A comparative study. Asian J Psychiatr. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.101994.
Kamo T, Ito F, Monden Y, Bussing R, Niwa M, Kawasaki M, Matano M, et al. (2021). Japanese version of the Eyberg child behavior inventory: Translation and validation. Jpn Psychol Res. 12365. https://doi.org/10.1111/jpr.12365.
Kido K, Fujita K (2019). Psychological well-being and utmost concern for parenting in mothers of children with developmental disabilities: A qualitative approach using framework matrix. J Heal Care Soc. 29(1): 135–154. https://doi.org/10.4091/iken.2019.002.
Kousha M, Attar HA, Shoar Z (2016). Anxiety, depression, and quality of life in Iranian mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. J Child Heal Care. 20(3):405–414. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367493515598644.
Leader G, Francis K, Mannion A, Chen J (2018). Toileting problems in children and adolescents with parent-reported diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder. J Dev Phys Disabil. 30(3): 307–327. https://doi.org/10.1007/s108820189587z.
Marsack CN, Samuel PS (2017). Mediating effects of social support on quality of life for parents of adults with autism. J Autism Dev Disord. 47(8): 2378–2389. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1080301731576.
Pecora LA, Mesibov GB, Stokes MA (2016). Sexuality in high-functioning autism: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Autism Dev Disord. 46(11): 3519–3556. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1080301628924.
Pisula E, Porębowicz-Dörsmann A (2017). Family functioning, parenting stress and quality of life in mothers and fathers of Polish children with high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. PLoS One. 12(10). https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186536.
Pryde R, Jahoda A (2018). A qualitative study of mothers’ experiences of supporting the sexual development of their sons with autism and an accompanying intellectual disability. Int J Dev Disabil. 64(3): 166–174. https://doi.org/10.1080/20473869.2018.1446704.
Rauf NK, Anis-ulhaq M, Khan S (2018). Association of autism child characteristics with maternal and paternal stress. Rawal Med J. 43(2): 263–266. Available at https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Saira-Khan-2/publication/325581707_Association_of_autism_child_characteristics_with_maternal_and_paternal_stress/links/5e76869b92851cf2719d9fcd/Association-of-autism-child-characteristics-with-maternal-and-paternal-stress.pdf
Rescorla LA, Winder-Patel BM, Paterson SJ, Pandey J, Wolff JJ, Schultz RT, Piven J (2019). Autism spectrum disorder screening with the CBCL/ 1½–5: Findings for young children at high risk for autism spectrum disorder. Autism. 23(1): 29–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317718482.
Timmons L, Willis KD, Pruitt MM, Ekas NV (2016). Predictors of daily relationship quality in mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord. 46(8). https://doi.org/10.1007/s1080301627990.
Tuovinen S, Lahti‐Pulkkinen M, Girchenko P, Lipsanen J, Lahti J, Heinonen K, Rebecca M, et al. (2018). Maternal depressive symptoms during and after pregnancy and child developmental milestones. Depress Anxiety. 35(8): 732–741. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.22756.
Weiss JA, Tint A, Paquette-Smith M, Lunsky Y (2016). Perceived self-efficacy in parents of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder. Autism. 20(4): 425-434. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361315586292.
Wolford SN, Cooper AN, McWey LM (2019). Maternal depression, maltreatment history, and child outcomes: The role of harsh parenting. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 89(2): 181–191. https://doi.org/10.1037/ort0000365.
Zablotsky B, Bradshaw CP, Stuart EA (2013). The association between mental health, stress, and coping supports in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord. 43(6): 1380–1393. https://doi.org/10.1007/s1080301216937.
