Researchers from UCSF recently published a new study in Family Process and found that rates of depressive symptoms among mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were significantly higher than those among mothers of neurotypical children (6% to 13.6%) for an 18-month survey.

In the current study, researchers assessed behavioural issues and maternal depression in 86 mother-child pairs over 18 months. 50% of the mothers had children with autism, while the other half of the women had neurotypical children. The ages of the studys participants ranged from two to sixteen, with the majority (75%) of them being of primary school age or younger. Maternal depression was evaluated using the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms, a self-report questionnaire filled out by mothers and the Childs Challenging Behavior Scale, which was used to assess the childs behaviour emphasized behaviours like tantrums, anger, and defiance that are externalized.

Regardless of ASD status, higher levels of depression were observed among mothers having children who suffer from behaviour issues. But an inverse relationship was not noticed; past depression of mothers did not seem to affect future behavioural problems in children. Researchers concluded that future studies were necessary to understand the links between maternal depression and childrens internalizing symptoms.  (HindustanTimes, Aug 27, 2022)