Ευρύτερος αυτιστικός φαινότυπος και ποιότητα ζωής σε γονείς με παιδιά στο φάσμα του αυτισμού

Η παρούσα έρευνα μελετά τον ευρύτερο αυτιστικό φαινότυπο και την ποιότητα ζωής σε γονείς με παιδιά στο φάσμα του αυτισμού και σε γονείς παιδιών τυπικής ανάπτυξης. Συμμετείχαν 174 γονείς, από την περιοχή της Αθήνας και του Πειραιά με μέσο όρο ηλικίας τα 45,01 έτη (τυπ.απόκλιση= 7,9). Από τους 174 γονείς, οι 119 ήταν γυναίκες (68,4%), και οι 55 άντρες (31,6%).Τα ερωτηματολόγια μοιράστηκαν σε 99 γονείς που είχαν παιδιά τυπικής ανάπτυξης (56,9%) και 75 που είχαν παιδιά στο φάσμα του αυτισμού (43,1%). Χρησιμοποιήθηκαν τα ακόλουθα ερωτηματολόγια: α) η ελληνική εκδοχή του ερωτηματολογίου για την Ποιότητα Ζωής, του Παγκόσμιου Οργανισμού Υγείας,(World Health Organization Quality Of Life - WHOQOL), β) το ερωτηματολόγιο αξιολόγησης του ευρύτερου φαινότυπου του αυτισμού, (Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire -BAP), γ) το ερωτηματολόγιο αξιολόγησης της φιλίας.Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι η ύπαρξη του φαινότυπου του αυτισμού αποτελεί σημαντικό προβλεπτικό παράγοντα χαμηλής ποιότητας ζωής και φιλικών σχέσεων των γονέων. Ο φαινότυπος του αυτισμού βρέθηκε να εμφανίζεται συχνότερα σε γονείς που έχουν παιδιά με αυτισμό. Ωστόσο δεν βρέθηκαν σημαντικές διαφορές στην ποιότητα ζωής και φιλίας μεταξύ των γονέων με παιδί στο φάσμα του αυτισμού και γονέων τυπικά αναπτυσσόμενων παιδιών.

Brief Report: The Broad Autism Phenotype in Swedish Parents of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Conditions

The broad autism phenotype (BAP) is a set of characteristics often observed in typically developing people with a genetic load for autism, such as parents of autistic children. The Broad Autism Phenotypic Questionnaire (BAPQ) is a 36-item questionnaire developed to identify the BAP in first-degree relatives of autistic people. We translated the BAPQ into Swedish and examined its psychometric properties in a Swedish sample consisting of 45 parents of children with ASC and 74 parents of non-autistic children. We found support for the original 3-factor structure (aloof, pragmatic language and rigid), good internal consistency and convergent validity with the Autism Quotient. Thus, the Swedish BAPQ exhibits acceptable psychometric properties and may be useful for assessing the BAP in non-clinical populations.

Is it Possible to Assess the Two-Domain Definition of the Broad Autism Phenotype Using the Available Measurement Tools?

Although, the operationalization of the autism spectrum disorder has been updated around two domains, the broad autism phenotype (BAP) one has not. Additionally, the items of the three common BAP measures, the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ), the Autism Quotient, and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), remain organized around a non-consensual number of factors. We explored whether the items of these measures matched with the two-domain operationalization through a parallel analysis, which has suggested two main components, and two expert judgments which have assessed item wording, relevance, and construct representativeness. A remaining pool of 48 BAP-relevant items suggested a possible under-representation of two subdomains. Despite the relevance of all the BAPQ items, only the SRS ones tapped in all subdomains.

Broad Autism Phenotype Traits in Parents of Children with Language Impairments: A Comparative Study

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The broad autism phenotype (BAP) comprises milder language and cognitive deficits seen in the nonautistic relatives of individuals with autism. BAP represents the range of individuals with a higher number of these characteristics than average but a lower number than would point to a diagnosis of autism. The Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) is one of the efficient and reliable tools to explore and measure BAP traits, namely, aloofness, pragmatic language, and rigid personality, which represent a few of the diagnostic features of autism. Against the background of positive familial history and common causes across the developmental disorders, this study aimed to compare BAP traits in the parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), specific language impairment (SLI), and social communication disorder (SCD) by means of the BAPQ. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> A total of 120 parents (60 mothers and 60 fathers) of children with ASD, SCD, and SLI participated in the study. All mothers filled in the self-report version and fathers filled in the informant version of BAPQ simultaneously in the communication intervention setting. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Obtained data was analyzed with the <i>t</i> test and ANOVA to compare self-ratings, informant ratings, and BAPQ scores across groups. The results of the study revealed no statistically significant difference for the overall BAPQ scores (except on the Pragmatic Language subscale). Furthermore, mothers in all 3 groups presented with BAP traits, with pragmatic language deficits being common. These observations point towards an overlap of BAP traits in the mothers of children with language disorders. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> These findings indicate the value of a detailed assessment of BAP in parents of children with developmental disorders.

Mental health, broad autism phenotype and psychological inflexibility in mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder in Australia: A cross-sectional survey

Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder are more likely to have features of the broad autism phenotype and adverse mental health outcomes. The broad autism phenotype can contribute to poorer mental health; however, the mechanism behind this relationship remains uncertain. This study investigated both the predictors of mental health and the relationship between the broad autism phenotype and mental health symptoms in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. This cross-sectional survey recruited 232 Australian mothers (⩾18 years) of children with autism spectrum disorder (0–10 years) and assessed maternal broad autism phenotype, mental health, adult attachment style, degree of social support and parenting experience. Hierarchical multiple regressions, t-tests, correlations and mediation analyses were conducted. Psychological inflexibility was the greatest unique predictor of anxious, depressive and stress symptomatology. Challenging parenting experiences predicted depressive, anxious and stress symptomatology while the broad autism phenotype also uniquely predicted anxious symptoms. Both psychological inflexibility and challenging parenting experiences were significant mediators of the relationships between the broad autism phenotype and depressive symptoms and between the broad autism phenotype and anxiety. Psychological inflexibility alone mediated the relationship between the broad autism phenotype and stress. Targeting psychological inflexibility and supporting parenting are promising avenues for future interventions to support the mental health of mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder. Lay abstract Mothers of children with autism tend to have poorer mental health outcomes compared to most mothers. Lack of social support, parenting challenges and relationship difficulties are more common for mothers of children with autism and can all affect maternal mental health. Mothers of children with autism are also more likely to have some autistic features, called the broad autism phenotype, that can contribute to poorer mental health; however, how these factors relate to one another are unclear. This study found that mothers who were less flexible in their thinking and behaviour and had more difficult parenting experiences tended to have poorer mental health. Mothers with more autistic features were less flexible in their thinking and behaviour, which, in turn, was linked to greater symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress. Mothers with greater autistic features also reported more difficult parenting experiences, which was in turn linked with greater symptoms of anxiety and depression. This study suggests that supporting mothers of young children with autism to manage parenting challenges and become more flexible with their thinking and behaviour could help to improve their mental health.