(PS2-60) Factors Related to Parenting Stress in Parents of Autistic Adolescents

Abstract Text: Parents of autistic children experience increased parenting stress, or strain caregivers experience related to their parenting roles, compared to parents of neurotypical children (Yesilkaya & Magallón-Neri, 2024). Increased caregiver strain is related to a variety of factors, including increased externalizing behaviors, increased financial demands, and decreased social support, among others (Yesilkaya & Magellón-Neri, 2024). Additionally, a considerable amount of research has found a relationship between the number and intensity of autism-related characteristics and perceived parenting stress (Yesikaya & Magallón-Neri, 2024). Yet, most of this research has focused on younger children, using the Parenting Stress Index to measure parenting stress in this population (Abidin, 2012). There is a lack of research investigating the relationship between autism-related characteristics and parenting stress in adolescents, as measured via the Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents (Sheras et al., 1998). The present study seeks to investigate the relationship between parenting stress and autism-related characteristics in a community sample of autistic parent-adolescent dyads completing an evidence-based social skills group. The sample included 52 autistic adolescents aged 11-17. Descriptive statistics and Pearson-r correlations were computed to investigate the relationship between autism characteristics, measured by the Social Responsiveness Scale, Second Edition (SRS-2; Constantino, 2012), and two primary domains of parenting stress, measured by the Stress Index for Parents of Adolescents (SIPA; Sheras et al. 1998). The two primary domains in the SIPA include the adolescent domain, reflecting parenting stress related to adolescent characteristics, and parent domain, reflecting parenting stress related to parent characteristics (Sheras et al. 1998). Results indicated a significant moderate correlation between SRS-2 total t-scores and parenting stress in the adolescent domain (r=.54, p>.005) and no significant correlation between SRS-2 total t-scores and parenting stress in the parent domain. These findings emphasize a persistent relationship between parenting stress and autism-related characteristics throughout adolescence. Additional research into this relationship in adolescence is needed to further elucidate the directionality of the effect. Implications for future research and intervention efforts are discussed.