The broad autism phenotype and its relation to parental reflective functioning in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders
Loading...
Date
2023-07-06
Authors
Henrikson, Brenna
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Attachment theory posits that a strong attachment between parent and child is necessary for the
child to grow and develop emotionally. Parental reflective functioning (PRF), the way that a
parent is able to reflect on their own and their child’s internal mental states, is an underlying
factor to fostering children’s own reflective functioning abilities and, in turn, the parent-child
attachment relationship. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have impairments in
reflective functioning abilities. As genetic factors contribute to ASD, parents of children with
ASD may have higher levels of the Broad Autism Phenotype (the BAP), which refers to nonclinically
significant symptoms of ASD. Examining levels of PRF in parents of children with
ASD, and the impact of level of the BAP on level of PRF, is important, as this will allow for a
better understanding of how these variables interact with each other and impact the parent-child
relationship within these populations. Further, examining the relationship between level of PRF
and level of parenting stress, along with the mediating role that externalizing behaviours play in
this relationship, is important in order to allow us to further understand how PRF interacts with
these variables that are often present within families of children with ASD. Broadly, the current
study sought to examine PRF in mothers of children with ASD, along with the relationship that
the PRF has with the BAP, parenting stress, and child externalizing behaviour problems.
The current study examined 105 mothers of children with ASD and 100 mothers of
children without ASD. ANCOVAs revealed that mothers of children with ASD had significantly
lower levels of PRF than the comparison group, while a significant negative relationship existed
between levels of the BAP in parents of children with ASD and PRF; more specifically, between
ASD and prementalizing. An ANCOVA also revealed that mothers of children with ASD
experienced significantly higher levels of parenting stress than the comparison group, and level
of child externalizing behaviour mediated the relationship between level of PRF in parents of
children with ASD and parenting stress.
Description
Keywords
autism spectrum disorders, parental reflective functioning, externalizing behaviour problems, parenting stress, parent-child relationship