(PS8-B27) Predictive and Protective Factors of Depression in Mothers of Children with Autism

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report higher levels of stress and psychological distress compared to parents of typically developing children. Belsky’s model proposes that parents’ internal psychological resources (e.g., coping and personality style), external resources (e.g., social network and career), and their child’s characteristics (e.g., behavior and temperament) contribute to parental functioning. The purpose of this study was to identify predictive and protective factors of depression in mothers of children with ASD. Participants included mothers (ages 20-60) of children (ages 2-12) with ASD (N = 268) recruited through the Interactive Autism Network (IAN). Participants completed a survey regarding their child’s behaviors, parental resourcefulness and efficacy, and cognitions associated with caregiving. A hierarchical regression was conducted to examine the predictive relationship of caregiver benefit finding (CBF), child problem behaviors (CPB), and social resourcefulness on maternal depression in mothers of children with ASD. The first step indicated that CBF significantly predicted maternal depression and explained 10% of variance within maternal depression (F(1, 266) = 29.860, p < .001). The addition of CPB resulted in explaining a further 4% of the variance in maternal depression (F(2, 265) = 22.186, p < .001). The overall model, including social resourcefulness, significantly predicted maternal depression, accounting for 16% of the total variance in maternal depression (F(3, 264) = 16.918, p < .001). These findings suggest that CBF, CPB, and social resourcefulness play important roles in predicting maternal depression in mothers of children with ASD. This study examines factors related to parental functioning from a holistic perspective. Clinicians may utilize these findings to aid in identifying at-risk mothers for depression and to bolster protective factors, increasing positive emotionality (e.g., joy and happiness) within the lives of these parents.