Niloufer Study Finds Higher Stress Among Mothers Of Autistic Children
The findings showed that perceived stress scale scores among caregivers of autistic children were higher at 21.88 compared to 18.44 among caregivers of non-autistic children.
Hyderabad: A study has found higher levels of stress among caregivers, especially mothers of autistic children. It also identified several pregnancy-related, neonatal and family-associated risk factors linked to autism. The study was conducted on autism spectrum disorder at the department of child psychiatry, Niloufer Hospital, by professors, assistant professors, and junior residents from Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Government Medical College, Medhcal Malkajgiri.
Dr Jahnavi Kotamarthi, assistant professor, department of psychiatry, Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, said that the comparative study included 50 children diagnosed with autism and 50 age and gender-matched non-autistic controls. Male children accounted for 74 per cent of autism cases.
The findings showed that perceived stress scale scores among caregivers of autistic children were higher at 21.88 compared to 18.44 among caregivers of non-autistic children. Caregiver stress questionnaire scores were substantially elevated in the autism group at 66.58 against 28.2 in the non-autism group.
“We assessed 37 potential risk factors, of which 14 showed a high association with autism. The study found that autistic children were more likely to belong to upper-income families and have graduate-level educated parents,” said Dr Prof. Hrishikesh Giri Prasad, head of the department of psychiatry, Niloufer Hospital, while the survey was transferred to Government Medical College, Medchal Malkajgiri.
Parental psychiatric history was also found to be significantly higher among autism cases. Around 20 per cent of autistic children had parents with a history of substance abuse, while others had affective disorders, psychosis or other psychiatric illnesses. Family history of psychiatric illness and suicidal deaths was also higher among autism cases, he added.
The study highlighted that younger parental age, maternal illness during pregnancy, NICU admissions, neonatal jaundice and medical interventions during the first month of life were significantly more common among autistic children.
Speech-related developmental concerns emerged strongly in the autism group, with 64 per cent showing speech delay and 48 per cent experiencing regression of speech, compared to very low occurrence in non-autistic children.
Dr K. Vidya Reddy, a junior resident at the department of psychiatry at Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, explained that it was also found that intense passive screen exposure can make certain autistic behaviours like reduced eye contact, delayed speech and decreased social engagement.
A 2020 meta-analysis reviewing several studies, including our study, reported that children who were breastfed had lower observed rates of autism compared with those who were not breastfed or who were bottle-fed.