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. 2013 Nov-Dec;34(9):651-60.
doi: 10.1097/01.DBP.0000437725.39459.a0.

Parental attributions for the behavior problems of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Sigan L Hartley  1 , Emily M Schaidle, Cynthia F Burnson
Affiliations

Parental attributions for the behavior problems of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders

Sigan L Hartley et al. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2013 Nov-Dec.

Abstract

Objective: The authors examined parental attributions for child behavior problems in 63 married couples of children and adolescents (aged 3-20 years) with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Both child-referent attributions (i.e., beliefs about causes related to the child or adolescent) and parent-referent attributions (i.e., beliefs about causes related to the parent) were examined along the dimensions of locus, stability, and controllability. Parent and child/adolescent factors related to parental attributions were identified, and the associations between parental attributions and parenting burden were explored.

Method: Mothers and fathers independently completed self-reported measures of parental attributions, parenting burden, and child behavior problems. Couples jointly reported on their son or daughter's severity of autism symptoms, intellectual disability status, age, and gender.

Results: Parents tended to attribute the behavior problems of their child/adolescent with an ASD to characteristics that were not only internal to and stable in the child/adolescent but also controllable by the child/adolescent. Mothers were more likely to attribute their son or daughter's behavior problems to characteristics that were less internal to and less stable in the child/adolescent with an ASD than were fathers. In addition, parents with a higher level of symptoms of the broader autism phenotype, parents of younger children, and parents of children/adolescents with intellectual disability, a higher severity of autism symptoms, and a higher severity of overall behavior problems were more likely to attribute their son or daughter's behavior problems to characteristics that were more internal to and stable in the child/adolescent and factors that were less controllable by the child/adolescent. Parental attributions were related to parents' level of parenting burden.

Implications: Findings have implications for designing appropriate interventions and services for families of children and adolescents with ASDs.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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