What Influences Parenting Stress? Examining Parenting Stress and Self-Efficacy Across Groups of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, at Risk of Developmental Language Disorder, and With Typically Developing Language

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine whether there are differences in parenting stress levels and self-efficacy among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), at risk of developmental language disorder (rDLD), and with typically developing language (TDL). The study also investigated the children’s language abilities and/or behavioral problems as potential predictors of parents’ levels of stress and self-efficacy. Method: The study assessed children’s language skills and behavioral problems as well as parental stress and self-efficacy in a sample of 2- to 4-year-old chil dren with ASD (n = 35), rDLD (n = 35), and with TDL (n = 25). Results: The findings of the study revealed that parents of children with ASD experienced the highest level of parenting stress related to child characteristics and the lowest level of self-efficacy, whereas parents of children rDLD had higher parenting stress compared to parents of children with TDL. Furthermore, although behavioral problems were shown to be a predictor that explains par enting stress in all groups, expressive language was identified as a predictor only in the rDLD group. While parental self-efficacy was also found to be pre dicted by expressive language in the TDL group, it was discovered that self efficacy affected parenting stress in parents of children with ASD and rDLD. Conclusions: These findings demonstrated that parental stress was a complex phenomenon impacted by several factors. This study may suggest the impor tance of interventions that aim to decrease parental stress and enhance self efficacy, going beyond the children’s language skills and behavioral problems.