Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Neuropsychiatric Symptoms, Parenting Stress and Social Support in Chinese Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Published:
Current Medical Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Summary

Although little is known about the current situation regarding autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainland China, psychiatric disorders are common among Chinese mothers of preschool children with ASD. Previous studies showed ASD child’s behavioral symptoms, maternal anxiety, and maternal depressive symptoms were associated with overall parenting stress in northern China. In the present study, we retrospectively analyzed medical records at the hospital related to neuropsychiatric symptoms, parenting stress and social support in mothers of children with ASD from southern China. A total of 80 mothers of children with ASD were screened. Among them, 34 mothers were in low-functioning ASD group (L-ASD group) and 46 mothers were in high-functioning ASD group (H-ASD group). Identification of the ASD cases was confirmed with a Revised Autism Diagnostic Inventory. Neuropsychiatric symptoms, parenting stress and social support were measured by neuropsychiatric inventory (NPI), parenting stress index short form (PSI-SF), and multi-dimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS). Total mean score of the NPI in the L-ASD group was significantly higher than that in the H-ASD group (P<0.01). The subscale scores of NPI, including depression, anxiety, apathy, irritability, agitation, night time behavior disturbances and change in appetite were significantly higher in the L-ASD group than those in the H-ASD group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). Meanwhile, the total PSI-SF scores and the scores of parental distress (PD), parental-child dysfunctional interaction (PCDI) and difficult child (DC) in the L-ASD group were significantly higher than those in the H-ASD group (P<0.01 or P<0.05). The total score of MSPSS was also higher in the L-ASD group than in the H-ASD group (P<0.01). This study goes further to show the neuropsychiatric symptoms and parenting stress are significantly higher in mothers of children with ASD, and more social supports are needed for mothers of children with ASD from southern China, especially for mothers of children with low-functioning ASD.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Picardi A, Gigantesco A, Tarolla E, et al. Parental burden and its correlates in families of children with autism spectrum disorder: A multicentre study with two comparison groups. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health, 2018, 14:143–176

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Kim K, Kim J, Voight A, et al. Listening to the screaming whisper: a voice of mother caregivers of children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD). Int J Qual Stud Health Well-being, 2018, 13(1):1479585

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Hutsler JJ, Love T, Zhang H. Histological and magnetic resonance imaging assessment of cortical layering and thickness in autism spectrum disorders. Biol Psychiatry, 2007, 61(4):449–457

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Hutsler JJ, Zhang H. Increased dendritic spine densities on cortical projection neurons in autism spectrum disorders. Brain Res, 2010, 1309:83–94

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Lv MN, Zhang H, Shu Y, et al. The neonatal levels of TSB, NSE and CK-BB in autism spectrum disorders from southern China. Transl Neurosci, 2016, 7(1):6–11

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Wang J, Hu Y, Wang Y, et al. Parenting stress in Chinese mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 2013, 48(4):575–582

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Lord C, Rutter M, Le Couteur A. Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised: a revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders. J Autism Dev Disord, 1994, 24(5):659–685

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Jin YL, Zhang H, Gao YZ, et al. Neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with vascular dementia in mainland China. Transl Neurosci, 2015, 6(1):157–161

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Cummings JL, Mega M, Gray K, et al. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory: comprehensive assessment of psychopathology in dementia. Neurology, 1994, 44(12):2308–2314

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Cummings JL. The Neuropsychiatric Inventory: assessing psychopathology in dementia patients. Neurology, 1997, 48(5 Suppl 6):S10–S16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Leung VP, Lam LC, Chiu HF, et al. Validation study of the Chinese version of the neuropsychiatric inventory (CNPI). Int J Geriatr Psychiatry, 2001, 16(8):789–793

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Wang T, Xiao S, Li X, et al. Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the neuropsychiatric inventory in mainland China. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry, 2012, 27(5):539–544

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Zaidman-Zait A, Mirenda P, Zumbo BD, et al. Factor analysis of the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form with parents of young children with autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res, 2011, 4(5):336–346

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Pearson V, Chan TW. The relationship between parenting stress and social support in mothers of children with learning disabilities: a Chinese experience. Soc Sci Med, 1993, 37(2):267–274

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Chan YC. Parenting stress and social support of mothers who physically abuse their children in Hong Kong. Child Abuse Negl, 1994, 18(3):261–269

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Yeh CH, Chen ML, Li W, et al. The Chinese version of the parenting stress index: a psychometric study. Acta Paediatr, 2001, 90(12):1470–1477

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Zimet GD, Powell SS, Farley GK, et al. Psychometric characteristics of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support. J Pers Assess, 1990, 55(3–4):610–617

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Wong ST, Yoo GJ, Stewart AL. Examining the types of social support and the actual sources of support in older Chinese and Korean immigrants. Int J Aging Hum Dev, 2005, 61(2):105–121

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Zhang H, Xiong RH, Hujiken S, et al. Psychological distress, family functioning, and social support in family caregivers for patients with dementia in the mainland of China. Chin Med J (Engl), 2013, 126 (18):3417–3421

    Google Scholar 

  20. Sun X, Allison C, Matthews FE, et al. Prevalence of autism in mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Mol Autism, 2013, 4(1):7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Wan Y, Hu Q, Li T, et al. Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders among children in China: a systematic review. Shanghai Arch Psychiatry, 2013, 25(2):70–80

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  22. Wang J, Zhou X, Xia W, et al. Autism awareness and attitudes towards treatment in caregivers of children aged 3–6 years in Harbin, China. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol, 2012, 47(8):1301–1308

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Liu Y, Li J, Zheng Q, et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of autism spectrum disorder in a stratified sampling of preschool teachers in China. BMC Psychiatry, 2016, 16:142

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Wang P, Michaels CA, Day MS. Stresses and coping strategies of Chinese families with children with autism and other developmental disabilities. J Autism Dev Disord, 2011, 41(6):783–795

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  25. Ji B, Zhao I, Turner C, et al. Predictors of health-related quality of life in Chinese caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders: a cross-sectional study. Arch Psychiatr Nurs, 2014, 28(5):327–332

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Sun X, Allison C, Auyeung B, et al. A review of healthcare service and education provision of autism spectrum condition in mainland China. Res Dev Disabil, 2013, 34(1):469–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Sun X, Allison C, Auyeung B, et al. Service provision for autism in mainland China: preliminary mapping of service pathways. Soc Sci Med, 2013, 98:87–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Xiong N, Yang L, Yu Y, et al. Investigation of raising burden of children with autism, physical disability and mental disability in China. Res Dev Disabil, 2011, 32(1):306–311

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Yu YW, Chung KH, Lee YK, et al. Prevalence of maternal affective disorders in Chinese mothers of preschool children with autism spectrum disorders. East Asian Arch Psychiatry, 2016, 26(4):121–128

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Kwok SY, Leung CL, Wong DF. Marital satisfaction of Chinese mothers of children with autism and intellectual disabilities in Hong Kong. J Intellect Disabil Res, 2014, 58(12):1156–1171

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Smith LE, Seltzer MM, Tager-Flusberg H, et al. A comparative analysis of well-being and coping among mothers of toddlers and mothers of adolescents with ASD. J Autism Dev Disord, 2008, 38(5):876–889

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Riahi F, Izadi-Mazidi S. Comparison between the mental health of mothers of children with autism and control group. Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci, 2012, 6(2):91–95

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  33. Zablotsky B, Bradshaw CP, Stuart EA. The association between mental health, stress, and coping supports in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord, 2013, 43(6):1380–1393

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Padden C, James JE. Stress among parents of children with and without autism spectrum disorder: A comparison involving physiological indicators and parent self-reports. J Dev Phys Disabil, 2017, 29(4):567–586

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Green J, Charman T, Pickles A, et al. Parent-mediated intervention versus no intervention for infants at high risk of autism: a parallel, single-blind, randomised trial. Lancet Psychiatry, 2015, 2(2):133–140

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Ji B, Sun M, Yi R, et al. Multidisciplinary parent education for caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders. Arch Psychiatr Nurs, 2014, 28(5):319–326

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Sotoudeh Navroodi SO, Nicknam M, Ahmadi A, et al. Examining the effectiveness of group positive parenting training on increasing hope and life satisfaction in mothers of children with autism. Iran J Psychiatry, 2018, 13(2):128–134

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  38. Iadarola S, Levato L, Harrison B, et al. Teaching parents behavioral strategies for autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Effects on stress, strain, and competence. J Autism Dev Disord, 2018, 48(4):1031–1040

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We would like to thank all patients and family members who attended in this study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China

    Xiao-qian Huang & Hong Zhang

  2. Teaching and Research Section of Neuropsychiatry, Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430071, China

    Hong Zhang

  3. Department of Pediatrics, Union Hospital of Fujian Medical University, Fuzhou, 350001, China

    Shan Chen

Authors
  1. Xiao-qian Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hong Zhang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shan Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Hong Zhang.

Additional information

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Huang, Xq., Zhang, H. & Chen, S. Neuropsychiatric Symptoms, Parenting Stress and Social Support in Chinese Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. CURR MED SCI 39, 291–297 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-019-2033-3

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11596-019-2033-3

Key words

Search

Navigation