About 50% of all mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had raised levels of depressive symptoms over 18 months, while rates were much lower (6% to 13.6%) for mothers with neurotypical children in the same period, according to a new study in Family Process.
Additionally, thought past studies suggest that having a parent with depression increases the child’s risk of mental health and behaviour problems, this study found something different.
“We found mothers’ higher symptoms of depression did NOT predict increases in children’s behaviour problems over time, including among families with a child with autism who experience a lot of stress,” said first author and UCSF Assistant Professor Danielle Roubinov. “That was surprising and good news.”
“Being the parent of a child with special needs is inherently challenging every day,” noted senior author UCSF Professor Elissa Epel. “It is a prototypical example of chronic stress, which is why we have been focusing on caregiving moms in our studies that examine effects of stress on health.”
“We already know from this sample that mothers with more depression tend to have signs of faster biological aging, such as lower levels of the anti-aging hormone klotho and older immune cells, on average,” added Prof Epel. “Here, we wanted to understand the impact of their depression on their child, and vice versa.”
A One-Way Street
Child behaviour problems predicted higher levels of maternal depression down the road, regardless of ASD status. The inverse effect was not seen, ie prior maternal depression didn’t predict later child behaviour problems.
Asst Prof Roubinov said that mothers of children with ASD need not feel guilty over their depressions impact on their children’s behaviours. “We hope these findings will reassure mothers that it’s both common to struggle with some depression in this high-stress situation of chronic caregiving, and that their depression likely isn’t making their child’s behavioural issues worse.”
Self-blame and guilt among parents of ASD children is common and predicts worsening depression and lower life satisfaction over time, the team’s past research shows.
In the current study, the researchers repeatedly measured maternal depression and children’s behaviour problems in 86 mother-child dyads across 18 months. Half of the mothers had children with ASD and half had neurotypical children. The children were aged 2–17 years old, with 75% being primary school age or younger.
Maternal depression was measured using the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms, a self-report scale completed by mothers. Child behaviour was measured through maternal report on the Child’s Challenging Behavior Scale, which focuses on externalising behaviours such as tantrums, aggression and defiance.
Few studies on maternal depression, child behaviour in ASD context
Bidirectional associations between maternal depression and child behaviour problems have been reported in prior research but few studies have examined these relationships in families with autism.
Families with autism tend to experience more marital conflict, lower relationship satisfaction, and many other challenges, said Ass Prof Roubinov, noting that a “stressful family environment may spill over onto family members” and changing their interactions. “We wanted to see whether the link between maternal and child mental health was different in the context of a high-stress family system, such as when a child has autism.”
Although the study acknowledged that families with a child with ASD experience high levels of stress, the authors were cautious to note that stress is not their only defining characteristic.
“Many mothers of children with autism also report high levels of emotional closeness and positive interactions with their children,” Asst Prof Roubinov said. “These are important experiences that supportive programs can build upon.”
The researchers offered mindfulness classes after the study to the participants to help manage parenting stress, and this improved their mental health.
It is important to experience and notice positive emotions and joy, despite having a more challenging life situation, said Prof Epel.
“Given the effects of chronic stress on health and mood, caregiving parents need extraordinary emotional support in addition to the special services for their child,” she said. “It’s as vital to provide support for parents’ mental health as it is for children’s mental health.”
Physicians should be on the lookout for parental distress and ready to offer resources for parents, especially for parents of special needs children, she said. The researchers said future studies should also look at associations between maternal depression and children’s internalising symptoms (eg, withdrawal, anxiety, emotional reactivity).
