Parent Health Outcomes and the Role of Parent Stress and Family Resilience in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with co-occurring internalizing problems or externalizing behaviors and parents mental and physical health. Furthermore, this study investigated the roles parent stress, family communication and beliefs had on those relationships. Participants included 2091 parents reporting on their child's internalizing problems or externalizing behaviors, their own individual stress and their family communication and beliefs. Results captured significant negative direct effects between child internalizing problems and parents' mental health and child externalizing behaviors and parents' physical health. Furthermore, results captured two significant mediations with parent stress mediating the relationships between child internalizing problems and externalizing behaviors and parent mental health. Results indicated family communication and family beliefs did not moderate the relationships between child internalizing problems and externalizing behaviors and parent stress.