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The Impact of Parenting Stress: A Meta-analysis of Studies Comparing the Experience of Parenting Stress in Parents of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Researchers commonly report that families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience more parenting stress than families of typically developing (TD) children or those diagnosed with other disabilities [e.g., Down syndrome (DS), cerebral palsy, intellectual disability]. The authors reexamined the research using comparison groups to investigate parenting stress and conducted a meta-analysis to pool results across studies. The experience of stress in families of children with ASD versus families of TD children resulted in a large effect size. Comparisons between families of children of ASD and families with other disabilities also generated a large effect size however, this result should be interpreted with caution as it may be associated with the specific experience of parenting a child with DS.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge funding received from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council. This paper was submitted as partial requirement for the first author’s Master’s degree. The first author would also like to thank Dr. Andy Field for his fantastic statistics website and resources.

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  1. Stephanie A. Hayes

    Present address: University of Alberta, 6-102 Education North, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2G5, Canada

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    Stephanie A. Hayes & Shelley L. Watson

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Hayes, S.A., Watson, S.L. The Impact of Parenting Stress: A Meta-analysis of Studies Comparing the Experience of Parenting Stress in Parents of Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 629–642 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1604-y

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