Associations Between Parenting Stress and Quality Time in Families of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Authors

Rebecca S. Bradley, University of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow
Grace L. Staples, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Lauren B. Quetsch, University of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow
Lindsey Aloia, University of Arkansas, FayettevilleFollow
Cynthia E. Brown, Pacific University
Stephen M. Kanne, Weill Cornell Medical College

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

3-2024

Keywords

Autism Spectrum Disorder; Stress; Quality Time; Parent-Child Relationship

Abstract

Increased stress among parents of youth with ASD has been well-documented. However, research on aspects of the parent-child relationship and subsequent links to parenting stress is limited. We assessed parents (N = 511) of youth with ASD to examine relations between parenting stress and parent-child quality time (amount of quality time, shared enjoyment, synchronicity). Elevated parenting stress was associated with less time spent engaging with youth in shared activities and decreased parent and child enjoyment during shared interactions. Parents with elevated stress reported engaging in shared activities and experiencing synchronicity with their child less often than parents below the clinical threshold. Future research should emphasize longitudinal efforts examining the directionality of this relationship to better inform family-focused intervention.

Comments

This article was published with support from the Open Access Publishing Fund administered through the University of Arkansas Libraries.

Citation

Bradley, R. S., Staples, G. L., Quetsch, L. B., Aloia, L., Brown, C. E., & Kanne, S. M. (2024). Associations Between Parenting Stress and Quality Time in Families of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54, 829-840. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05852-0

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.