The impact of child and family stressors on the self-rated health of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder - Associations with depressed mood over a 12-year period

Oct 15, 2026

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Employing a cohort sequential design and multilevel modeling, the effects of child and family stressors and maternal depressed mood on the self-rated health of 110 mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder were assessed over a 12-year period as children aged 7–19. Results show a significant decline in self-rated health over time. Stressors and depressed mood have significant between-person effects: mothers reporting more stressors and more depressed mood rate their health worse. A significant within-person association also emerges, and maternal depressed mood partially mediates stressors’ effects, suggesting chronic stress and depression are key mechanisms linking stress to poorer maternal health.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Stress in parents of children with ASD

Physical health and caregiving

Pathways linking caregiving stress to health

Depressed mood as a contributing factor

Original Article The impact of child and family stressorson the self-rated health of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder: Associations with depressed mood over a 12-year period Paul R Benson Autism 2018, Vol. 22(4) 489–501 © The Author(s) 2017 Reprints and permissions: [sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav](sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav)[ ](sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav)[DOI: 10.1177/1362361317697656](DOI: 10.1177/1362361317697656)[ ](DOI: 10.1177/1362361317697656)[journals.sagepub.com/home/aut](journals.sagepub.com/home/aut) Abstract Employing a cohort sequential design and multilevel modeling, the effects of child and family stressors and maternal depressed mood on the self-rated health of 110 mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder were assessed over a 12-year period when children in the study were 7–19 years old. Findings indicate a significant decline in selfrated health over time. In addition, child and family stressors, as well as maternal depressed mood, exerted significant between-persons effects on self-rated health such that mothers who reported more stressors and depressed mood across the study period were less likely to rate themselves in better health across that period. In addition, a significant within-person relationship between maternal depressed mood and self-rated health was found, indicating that at times when mothers reported higher levels of depressed mood than usual (their personal average across the study), they were significantly less likely to report better self-rated health. Finally, maternal depressed mood partially mediated the between-persons effects of child and family stressors on self-rated health such that increased stressors led to increased maternal depressed mood which, in turn, led to poorer maternal self-rated health. Findings suggest that chronic stressors erode maternal health over time and that depression may be an important mechanism linking stressors to decreased maternal health. Keywords autism, autism spectrum disorder, depression, mothers, physical health, stress Introduction Extensive research indicates that, on average, parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher levels of stress and poorer mental health than do parents of typically developing children or children with nonASD disabilities (for reviews, see Hayes and Watson, 2013; Karst and Van Hecke, 2012) . In addition, children with ASD often exhibit high levels of problem behaviors, a fact which has consistently been linked to increased parent stress and psychological distress (Benson, 2006; Benson and Karlof, 2009; Davis and Carter, 2008; Lecavalier et al., 2006) . At the same time, research also suggests that the availability and use of psychosocial resources, such as social support (Benson, 2012, 2016; Ekas et al., 2010) and adaptive coping (Benson, 2014; Hastings et al., 2005), can lower parent stress and enhance adjustment. While a substantial literature has examined the effects of caregiving on the mental health of parents of children with ASD, particularly mothers, fewer studies have investigated how caregiving affects parents’physical health. Extant studies, however, suggest that, as a group, parents of children with ASD experience poorer subjective and objective physical health (e.g. poorer self-assessed global health, increased somatic symptoms, and worse health-related quality of life) University of Massachusetts Boston, USA Corresponding author: Paul R Benson, Department of Sociology, University of Massachusetts Boston, 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125, USA. Email: [paul.benson@umb.edu](paul.benson@umb.edu) than do parents of typically developing children (Allik et al., 2006; Khanna et al., 2011; Mungo et al., 2007). Similar findings of poorer physical health have also been found in studies of other kinds of family caregivers, including parents ofchildren with severe and chronic medical conditions (Hat

FAQs

What study design and statistical approach were used?

The study used a cohort sequential design with multilevel modeling to assess effects across a 12-year period.

What was the overall trend in mothers’ self-rated health?

Mothers’ self-rated health showed a significant decline over time.

How did maternal depressed mood relate to self-rated health?

Maternal depressed mood showed both between-person effects and within-person associations, and it partially mediated the impact of child and family stressors on self-rated health.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Ben