TY - JOUR

T1 - Brief report: Fathers’ and mothers’ ratings of behavioral and emotional problems in siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder.

AU - Griffith, Gemma

AU - Hastings, Richard

AU - Petalas, Michael

PY - 2014/5

Y1 - 2014/5

N2 - Debate is ongoing about whether typically developing siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at greater risk of behavioral or emotional problems than siblings of children without ASD. Most data on behavior is provided by mothers, and we do not know whether fathers' reports differ. The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (Goodman in J Child Psychol Psychiatry 38(5):581-586, 1997) was completed by 168 mothers and 130 fathers. Parents were more likely to rate siblings as having 'abnormal' behavior when compared to a normative population. We found moderate correlations between mother-father ratings. More research may be needed to understand any clinical benefits of gathering data about sibling adjustment from more than one parent in the family. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

AB - Debate is ongoing about whether typically developing siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at greater risk of behavioral or emotional problems than siblings of children without ASD. Most data on behavior is provided by mothers, and we do not know whether fathers' reports differ. The strengths and difficulties questionnaire (Goodman in J Child Psychol Psychiatry 38(5):581-586, 1997) was completed by 168 mothers and 130 fathers. Parents were more likely to rate siblings as having 'abnormal' behavior when compared to a normative population. We found moderate correlations between mother-father ratings. More research may be needed to understand any clinical benefits of gathering data about sibling adjustment from more than one parent in the family. Implications for clinical practice and future research are discussed.

KW - Adaptation, Psychological

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Child

KW - Child Development Disorders, Pervasive

KW - Child, Preschool

KW - Emotions

KW - Fathers

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Mothers

KW - Siblings

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1007/s10803-013-1969-6

DO - 10.1007/s10803-013-1969-6

M3 - Article

C2 - 24141746

VL - 44

SP - 1230

EP - 1235

JO - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

JF - Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

SN - 0162-3257

IS - 5

ER -