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Couple Conflict in Parents of Children with versus without Autism: Self-Reported and Observed Findings

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Abstract

We compared the couple conflict of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to a comparison group of parents of children without disabilities using self-reported and observational measures. In total, 178 couples who had a child with ASD (aged 5–12 years) and 174 couples who had children without disabilities (aged 5–12 years), recruited from a Midwestern state in the United States, reported on couple conflict in everyday life and engaged in an observed couple conflict interaction. Parents of children with ASD reported more frequent, severe, and unresolved couple problems than the comparison group. Parents who had a child with ASD were observed to have less engaged, balanced, and cooperative couple conflict interactions, but demonstrated more positive affect and sensitivity towards one another, than parents in the comparison group. Group differences had small effect sizes. Findings have implications for marital therapy and relationship education programs.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH009190 to S. Hartley) and National Institute of Child Health and Development (P30 HD03352 to A. Messing).

Author Contribution

S.H.: designed study, took lead on data analyses, and wrote the paper. L.P.: collaborated with the design of the study and data analyses. I.M.: assisted in conducting the study and writing of the study. P.B.: assisted in conducting the study and writing of the discussion. G.G.: assisted in conducting of the study and writing of the study. E.H.: assisted in writing of the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Human Development and Family Studies and Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Sigan L. Hartley, Iulia Mihaila, Paige M. Bussanich, Greta Goetz & Emily J. Hickey

  2. Department of Human Development and Family Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA

    Lauren M. Papp

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  1. Sigan L. Hartley
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Correspondence to Sigan L. Hartley.

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This study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (R01 MH009190) and National Institute of Child Health and Development (P30 HD03352).

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The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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All procedures performed in the study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Hartley, S.L., Papp, L.M., Mihaila, I. et al. Couple Conflict in Parents of Children with versus without Autism: Self-Reported and Observed Findings. J Child Fam Stud 26, 2152–2165 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-017-0737-1

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