Parental Representations and Emotional Availability: The Case of Children with Autism and Severe Behavior Problems.
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| Title: | Parental Representations and Emotional Availability: The Case of Children with Autism and Severe Behavior Problems. |
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| Authors: | Sher-Censor, Efrat (AUTHOR), Harel, Moria (AUTHOR), Oppenheim, David (AUTHOR), Aran, Adi (AUTHOR) |
| Source: | Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders. Apr2026, Vol. 56 Issue 4, p1489-1502. 14p. |
| Subjects: | Cross-sectional method, Pearson correlation (Statistics), T-test (Statistics), Statistical significance, Research funding, Autism, Parent-child relationships, Scientific observation, Interviewing, Questionnaires, Mothers, Emotions, Parent attitudes, Parenting, Psychological adaptation, Descriptive statistics, Behavior disorders in children, Fathers, Social skills, Asperger's syndrome, Psychology of parents, Psychological tests, Data analysis software, Regression analysis, Psychosocial factors, Children |
| Abstract: | Studies suggest that parents' emotional availability (EA) is associated with children's wellbeing, including in the case of children with autism. Our study extended prior research by examining the role of parents' representations in fostering parental EA and by focusing on fathers and on children with autism and severe behavior problems. We expected that parents' positive representations would be associated with higher EA and compared mothers' and fathers' representations and EA. Participants were 79 mothers and 69 fathers (child age range = 61–173 months, 21.95% girls). Representation assessments included the Reaction to Diagnosis Questionnaire, tapping resolution with respect to the child's diagnosis, and the coherence and positive comments in parents' Five Minute Speech Samples about the child. Parents' EA was coded from parent–child play interactions. Controlling for children's autism symptoms and adaptive functioning, mothers' resolution with respect to the child's diagnosis and positive comments (but not coherence) were associated with their EA, and fathers' coherence (but not positive comments and resolution) was associated with their EA. Mothers expressed more positive comments than fathers, and the resolution and EA scores of mothers and fathers were significantly correlated. Our results highlight the importance of considering both parents' representations and EA when studying and working with families of children with autism and severe behavior problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Journal of Autism & Developmental Disorders is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
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