title: The predictors of distress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is well recognised that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience clinically significant levels of stress and depression. This study examined which ASD characteristic best predicted parental distress.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of 109 children aged between 4 and 12 (M age = 7.89, SD = 2.43) completed self-report measures of anxiety, depression, stress, and parenting-specific stress. They also completed rating scales regarding their child's ASD characteristics.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This study found that the child's behavioural and emotional impairments predicted the parents' overall levels of distress (i.e., stress/tension, anxiety, and depression), but not the stress associated with parenting. Instead, the child's social impairment severity was found to predict parenting-specific stress.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study highlights the pervasive influence of ASD symptomatology on the mental wellbeing of the parents and the importance of assisting parents to cope with the behavioural and social impairments of their child.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, Charles Sturt University, Bathurst, NSW, Australia.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Dryer
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology*; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires