title: Mother-child relationship quality among adolescents and adults with autism.
abstract: The mother-child relationship in families of 202 adolescents and adults with an autism spectrum disorder living at home and its association with maternal caregiving gains and strains were examined. Findings indicate a wide range of variability in the quality of the mother-child relationship, although most were characterized as positive across multiple measures. Characteristics of the son or daughter with autism (less severe maladaptive behaviors, better health, and less social impairments) and characteristics of the mother (lower levels of pessimism) were predictive of more positive mother-child relationships. In turn, specific aspects of the mother-child relationship (greater positive affect and warmth), along with other child and maternal characteristics, predicted fewer maternal caregiving strains and, to a lesser extent, greater caregiving gains.
authors.affiliation: Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Boston University, MA 02215, USA. gorsmond@bu.edu
authors.forename: Gael I
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Orsmond
authors.forename: Marsha Mailick
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Seltzer
authors.forename: Jan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Greenberg
authors.forename: Marty Wyngaarden
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Krauss
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000367:Age Factors; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D019260:Expressed Emotion; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009679:Nuclear Family / Q000523:psychology; D009769:Object Attachment; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011788:Quality of Life; D012917:Social Adjustment