Dyadic coping and coparenting among couples after their child’s recent autism diagnosis

This study explores how parenting couples use their relationship to support each other after their child’s autism diagnosis by assessing the role of dyadic coping and parenting sense of competence as predictors of their coparenting quality. Mothers and fathers raising a child on the spectrum ( N = 70 couples) individually completed self-report questionnaires measuring stress appraisal, dyadic coping, parenting sense of competence, and coparenting. Parents were recruited 1–36 months after their child’s autism diagnosis and data were analyzed using the actor-partner interdependence model. Parents’ dyadic coping and sense of competence were related to their level of coparenting. Partner effects were found as mothers’ dyadic coping was positively linked to fathers’ coparenting and a higher sense of competence among fathers predicted mothers’ coparenting. Further research is needed to understand how these effects evolve throughout the child’s development stages. Lay abstract We investigated how couples support each other after their child’s autism diagnosis and whether this affects the way they work together to raise their child. We recruited 70 couples raising a child on the autism spectrum. Both partners were asked to complete the same questionnaires measuring how they perceived the experience of having a child on the autism spectrum, how they used their relationship to support each other during stressful situations, how competent they felt completing their parenting tasks, and the coparenting relationship to explore how they worked together as a team when parenting their child. Parents participated in the study 1–36 months after their child’s autism diagnosis. We used statistical techniques that allowed us to see the impact mothers and fathers had on each other. Overall, parents who felt more competent and supported by their partner worked better as a team to raise their child on the spectrum. Fathers invested in the coparenting relationship more when mothers felt more supported by fathers. Mothers invested in the coparenting relationship more when fathers felt more competent parenting their child. Further research is needed to better understand how we can support couples as their child gets older.

Parenting Sense of Competence in Parents of Children with and without Intellectual Disability

Our study aims to examine the relationship of child’s intellectual disability, parental education, employment and perceived stress with parenting sense of competence (satisfaction and self-efficacy). Three groups of parents (children without intellectual disability, children with mild intellectual disabilities, and children with moderate/severe intellectual disability) completed measures of perceived stress, parenting sense of competence and socio-demographic questions. Results show that child’s intellectual disability affects parenting satisfaction but not parenting self-efficacy. Parental employment predicted parenting satisfaction, but not parenting self-efficacy, while perceived stress predicted parenting satisfaction and self-efficacy. Results further suggest that parental employment moderates the relationship of child's disability with parenting satisfaction and perceived stress. Result suggest a need for interventions aimed at supporting parents in dealing with emotional consequences of their child’s disability.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Postnatal Depression in Females with Cesarean Section and Normal Vaginal Delivery

Objectives: To find the prevalence and risk factors of postnatal depression and association of parenting sense of competence with postnatal depression among females with cesarean section and normal vaginal delivery. Methods: This case-control study was conducted in Allied hospital and Children hospital Faisalabad during a period of 1-1-2019 to 30-06-2020. A non-probability purposive sampling technique was used to enroll 284 women. The Urdu version of Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale was used to measure postnatal depression. Results: The mean age (in years) ± SD was 27.39±5.26 (min 18 years, max 45 years). According to cut-off score ≥13 on EPDS 37.3% women were found depressed while 62.7% women were found non-depressed. The mean EPDS score ± SD was 10.12 ± 6.27 (min score 0; max score 27). The women’s age, women’s education, education of head of family, monthly income of family and socio-economic status, mode of delivery, delivery place, number of pregnancies, history of infant death, history of child death, history of miscarriage and number of living children and parenting sense of competence were significantly associated with postnatal depression (p<0.05). Conclusion: Socio-demographic, obstetric risk factors, and parenting sense of competence are significant predictors of postnatal depression that need to be addressed in order to sustain safe motherhood.

Mothers with Internalizing Problems Benefit More from Group versus Individual Behavior Management Treatment for Children's Disruptive Behavior

Background: Comparing the efficacy of psychotherapy services for different family needs is critical for advancing more personalized treatment approaches. We examined maternal internalizing mental health problems as a predictor of treatment response for individualized treatment for mothers and their child, versus Coping Power (CP), a manualized group-based program, for children with disruptive behavior. Methods: Families were recruited from a large hospital setting and randomized to 15 weeks of parent and child individualized treatment or CP. Of the 133 families who began treatment, 103 returned for follow-up of which 93 provided baseline data on maternal internalizing mental health problems (defined as scores of 3 or above on the GAIN-SS internalizing subscale). Outcomes included primary treatment targets across child (conduct problems, emotional symptoms, and prosocial skills) and parenting (inconsistent discipline, positive parenting, and parenting sense of competence) factors. Results: Repeated measure ANOVAS indicate that group-based CP was either similar or better than individualized treatment for families with maternal-internalizing status. For both child conduct problems and parent inconsistent discipline, families with maternal-internalizing status only improved in CP (not individualized treatment). For child emotional symptoms and parenting sense of competence outcomes, families in both CP and individualized treatment exhibited similar improvements over time. Main effects indicated maternal-internalizing status was linked to lower parenting satisfaction and higher child emotional symptoms. No changes over time were observed for child prosocial symptoms or positive parenting. Conclusions: Results highlight the efficacy of group-based CP, compared to individualized treatment, for addressing child behavioral problems and parenting needs in families with maternal internalizing problems.