Parenting a child with autism: contextual factors associated with enhanced daily parental mood.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the extent to which social support, unsupportive interactions, support services, and disruptive child behaviors predict daily positive and negative mood in parents of children with autism.


METHODS
Ninety-three parents of children with autism completed initial measures of disruptive child behaviors, and support services, then biweekly measures of daily stress, received emotional and instrumental social support, unsupportive social interactions, and mood over 3 months.


RESULTS
Greater levels of daily positive mood were associated with more emotional and instrumental support, and less parenting stress and unsupportive interactions. Greater daily negative mood was associated with less emotional support and more parenting stress, unsupportive interactions, and disruptive child behaviors. Emotional support, unsupportive interactions, and disruptive child behaviors moderated the stress-mood relationship.


CONCLUSIONS
Daily received social support and unsupportive interactions, and disruptive child behaviors are important predictors of daily mood. Identifying interpersonal processes that enhance psychological well-being may inform future parenting interventions.
Pottie
Colin G
CG
Department of Psychology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23284-2018, USA.
Cohen
Jessye
J
Ingram
Kathleen M
KM
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D010287:Parent-Child Relations; D016487:Parenting; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014768:Virginia