ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Comparing parental stress of children with neurodevelopmental disorders: The case of Williams syndrome, Down syndrome and autism spectrum disorders
Maria Ashworth,
Olympia Palikara,
Jo Van Herwegen,
Maria Ashworth
Department of Psychology, Kingston University London, Kingston upon Thames, UK
Search for more papers by this authorOlympia Palikara
School of Education, University of Roehampton, London, UK
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jo Van Herwegen
Department of Psychology, Kingston University London, Kingston upon Thames, UK
Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
Correspondence
Jo Van Herwegen, Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK.
Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorMaria Ashworth,
Olympia Palikara,
Jo Van Herwegen,
Maria Ashworth
Department of Psychology, Kingston University London, Kingston upon Thames, UK
Search for more papers by this authorOlympia Palikara
School of Education, University of Roehampton, London, UK
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Jo Van Herwegen
Department of Psychology, Kingston University London, Kingston upon Thames, UK
Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK
Correspondence
Jo Van Herwegen, Department of Psychology and Human Development, UCL Institute of Education, London, UK.
Emails: [email protected]; [email protected]
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Background
Although parental stress is higher for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs), it is unclear how this stress compares to more common NDs. The current study compared stress in parents of children with Williams syndrome (WS), Down syndrome (DS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The impact of individual and contextual factors was also explored.
Method
Parents of children with WS (n = 107), DS (n = 79) and ASD (n = 79) completed a background questionnaire, a parental stress questionnaire and a satisfaction with life questionnaire.
Results
Although all groups displayed similar levels of parental stress, the factors that influenced this stress differed between the groups. There were also differences for life satisfaction and relationships between parental stress and individual and contextual factors.
Conclusions
Although parents of children with NDs are not at an increased risk of parental stress, the results suggest that interventions should be syndrome-specific.
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