Like mother, like son: a similarity-fit perspective on motherhood and the broader autism phenotype
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Date
2022-02-11
Authors
Ward, Michelle
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Abstract
Background: The broader autism phenotype (BAP) has emerged as a promising construct in the study of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Given that this pattern of subclinical ASD characteristics is commonly found in parents of children with ASD, it seems critical that parenting research with ASD populations acknowledge the likely interaction between parent and child traits. Unfortunately, little research has explored the interaction between childhood ASD, maternal BAP, and parenting outcomes. The present study helps to address this gap by investigating these relationships through the lens of the similarity-fit hypothesis, which was first established in the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) literature. Under this framework, overlap between parent and child traits is thought to promote a “fit” within the parent-child relationship. Methods: A sample of 143 North American mothers of boys (with and without ASD) participated in a large online survey incorporating measures of the BAP, ASD, ADHD, and parenting variables (i.e., positive/involved parenting, negative parenting, parenting stress). Moderation analyses were conducted to examine the relationship between maternal BAP, child ASD, and parenting outcomes. Given previous support for similarity-fit in ADHD populations, post-hoc moderation analyses were conducted to examine the interaction between maternal ADHD, child ADHD, and parenting outcomes. Results: The regression analyses revealed no significant interaction effects between maternal BAP, child ASD, and each dependent variable. Instead, both mother and child ASD/BAP traits corresponded with increased parenting stress, suggesting the possibility of an additive impact. Conversely, parenting practices were related to maternal BAP traits but not child ASD symptomology. Greater maternal BAP ratings were linked to poorer parenting practices. Paralleling past similarity-fit research, post-hoc analyses revealed significant interaction effects for mother and child ADHD symptomology and parenting outcomes. Greater maternal ADHD symptomology predicted significantly more negative parenting and parenting stress, but only for mothers of children without ADHD. Conclusions: Contrary to the similarity-fit hypothesis, child ASD did not moderate the relationship between BAP characteristics and parenting outcomes. Conversely, results supported ADHD similarity-fit within the present sample. These findings suggest that ‘fit’ between mother and child is important for promoting positive parenting outcomes within the context of ADHD symptomology but not ASD/BAP characteristics.
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autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, broader autism phenotype, mother, parent-child