293 - Exploring the Family Connection: Assessing the Psychopathological Profile in Families of Patients with High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

Publication Number: 3282.293

Meredith O'Connor, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Milla Zabib, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Maura DiSalvo, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Gagan Joshi, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States; Chloe Hutt Vater, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent and heritable neurodevelopmental disorder that carries a significant clinical burden, leading to a diverse range of clinical presentations and associated morbidity that affect both a child with ASD and their families. Only a few studies have compared parents of children with ASD and parents of children with ADHD (control) to develop a psychosocial profile for families. Child psychopathology can contribute to increased family distress. Parental stress can also have a reciprocal negative impact on the functioning of a child with ASD.

Objective: In this study, we examined the extent of psychopathology in parents and families of youth with intellectually capable ASD compared to parents and families of youth with ADHD to gain insight into the psychosocial profile of parents of children. We also explored the relationship between possible causes of family stress and parent-child relationships.

Design/Methods: Our sample comprised 242 youth with ASD (age 11.2 +3.4) and 357 ADHD psychiatric controls (age 11.1 +3.5) derived from consecutive referrals to specialized ambulatory care programs for ASD and ADHD at a major academic center from 2016-2022.

Results: We saw the highest rates of ASD and ADHD in parent and family psychopathology for patients in the ASD group compared to the ADHD group. Depression was also significant but only for family psychopathology. When exploring social factors, the paternal-child relationship items on the CBCL were significant for the ASD group when compared to ADHD. Additionally, fathers of children with ADHD were more likely to have a 4-year/ graduate degree than fathers of children with ASD. However, families in both groups showed similar rates of anxiety, substance use, marital statuses, and maternal-child relationships.

Conclusion(s): These results contribute to the growing body of evidence of genetic and environmental effects in the development of neurodevelopmental disorders. While it is evident that there are many potential family stressors for this population, more research is needed to determine how we can reduce stress and improve quality of life in families with autism. This study is distinct from previous research that doesn’t always specify ASD with or without intellectual disability (ID), demonstrating a need for research examining parental psychopathology and other stressors in this sub-population of autism.