Stress in Parents of 6-Month-Old Infants with Older Siblings with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Background: There is growing awareness among scientists and the general public of increased risk for ASD in infants with older siblings with ASD. However, ASD is not currently able to be reliably diagnosed until 24 months of age or later. Thus, parents with an older child with ASD and an infant who is too young to be diagnosed may be aware that their infant is at-risk. This means that they may be unable to obtain definitive clinical information about their infant's prognosis for two or more years after birth. This parental awareness may confer additional risk for stress in parents as they attempt to juggle the demands of monitoring the development of an at-risk infant and providing therapy for an older sibling with ASD. Objectives: To document levels of parental stress among parents of infants at risk for ASD. Specifically, this study will explore the levels of psychological distress and parenting-related stress, and family factors such as marital relations, social support and disruptive life events in parents of 6-month old infant siblings and make comparisons with parents of low-risk infants. Methods: In the context of a randomized trial of an intervention to support parent-infant interaction, parents of infants with older siblings with ASD (ASD-risk; n=27) and older siblings with typical development (TYP; n=24) were assessed when their infant was 6-months of age, before the intervention was provided. Domains of psychological distress, parenting-related stress and family factors (marital relations, social support, and disruptive life events) were assessed. Results: We predict that parents of an infant at risk for ASD will experience increased psychological distress and parenting-related stress as compared to parents of low-risk infants. It is further predicted that, although increased parental stress will be present among parents of at-risk infants, other family factors, including marital relations and social support, will not differ between parent groups. Conclusions: Previous research has shown that parents of children with ASD are at increased risk for psychological distress and parenting-related stress. This study investigates parental distress, parenting-related stress and family factors in families with a very young infant who is at-risk for ASD, prior to the onset of ASD symptoms. If parents of at-risk infants report increased distress, parenting-related stress or other family stress factors, evidence-based interventions providing support to parents of infants at-risk for ASD should be developed to support family functioning during this developmental period.