The relationship between comorbid psychopathologies of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and parental self-efficacy
Citation & Export
Hide
Simple citation
De Carlo, Eliannah Gabrielle.
The relationship between comorbid psychopathologies of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and parental self-efficacy. Retrieved from
https://doi.org/doi:10.7282/t3-m0tf-jd44Export
Description
TitleThe relationship between comorbid psychopathologies of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and parental self-efficacy
Date Created2021
Other Date2021-08 (degree)
Extent1 online resource (viii, 52 pages)
DescriptionWhile a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) presents a myriad of difficulties, comorbid psychiatric disorders can exacerbate an individual’s challenges, as well as those related to parenting and caregiving (Guerrera et al., 2019). Specifically, parental self-efficacy, defined as “the degree to which the parent feels competent and confident in handling child problems,” is a phenomenon found to impact both the caregiver and child, relating to parenting competence, child outcomes, and protective factors (Gilmore & Cuskelly, 2009). While previous research addresses the general impact of ASD and/or psychiatric comorbidities on caregivers, this study examines the relationship between co-occurring psychiatric difficulties and parental self-efficacy (Guerrera et al., 2019; Hastings & Brown, 2002; Simonoff et al., 2008). This researcher hypothesized that there would be an inverse relationship between the level of psychiatric comorbidity and the level of parental self-efficacy. Participants included caregivers of children and adolescents ages six to seventeen with a diagnosis of ASD that was the product of either the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) or the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Caregivers were asked to complete the Child Behavior Checklist, School-Age Form (CBCL) and Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), as well as a brief questionnaire regarding ASD diagnosis and treatment history. Correlational analyses between psychiatric comorbidity, as measured by the CBCL Total Problems score, and parental self-efficacy, as measured by the PSOC Total score, were significant (r = -.47, p < .01), indicating an inverse correlation between the variables. Linear regression revealed a statistically significant relationship between the primary study variables (t = -3.38, p < .01), and adjusted R2 (.20) indicated that psychiatric comorbidity explained 20% of variability in parental self-efficacy. These findings supported the hypothesized relationship between parental self-efficacy and comorbid psychopathologies, as well as the prevalence of common comorbidities within the sample, including depressive, somatic, conduct, and anxiety problems. Given these findings, implications for child- and parent-focused treatment as well as future directions, including examination of the impact of additional factors (e.g., caring for more than one child with disabilities), were discussed. Potential limitations included small sample size as well as participant characteristics.
NotePsy.D.
NoteIncludes bibliographical references
Genretheses
LanguageEnglish
CollectionGraduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Organization NameRutgers, The State University of New Jersey
RightsThe author owns the copyright to this work.
Statistical Profile