Parent-Child Agreement on Magnitude of Anxiety in Autistic vs. Non-Autistic Children
Presentation Type
Poster
Faculty Advisor
Erin Kang
Access Type
Event
Start Date
26-4-2024 2:15 PM
End Date
26-4-2024 3:15 PM
Description
Autistic and non-autistic children often report anxiety behaviors differently than parents, indicating potential differences in behavior perception and interpretation (McMahon & Solomon, 2015). Previous investigations of parent-child agreement on psychosocial constructs (i.e., anxiety, social functioning, etc.) indicate consistent discrepancies. However, there is a gap in the literature comparing the level of parent-child discrepancy between autistic and non-autistic samples. This study compared parent-child discrepancy in anxiety for autistic and non-autistic youth. A sample of autistic children (n=28) and non-autistic children (n=17) and their parents completed the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, Second Edition (MASC-2; March, 2012) to assess anxiety levels among autistic and non-autistic youth. Parent-child discrepancy was determined via simple difference scores by subtracting child MASC-2 scores from parent MASC-2 scores. An independent samples t-test was run on differences scores between autistic and non-autistic groups. Both autistic and non-autistic children endorsed a greater amount of anxiety symptoms than parents endorsed. Autistic youth had a mean difference in MASC-2 scores of -4.25, while non-autistic youth had a mean difference of -6.88. There was no significant difference in parent-child discrepancy between the two groups (t=-0.69; p=.50). Parent-child agreement was not different between groups, which suggests both autistic and non-autistic youth are able to report on their own anxiety but parents may not always perceive their child’s anxiety to the same extent, Findings underscore the importance of multi-informant assessment and incorporating perceptions of autistic youth.
Parent-Child Agreement on Magnitude of Anxiety in Autistic vs. Non-Autistic Children
Autistic and non-autistic children often report anxiety behaviors differently than parents, indicating potential differences in behavior perception and interpretation (McMahon & Solomon, 2015). Previous investigations of parent-child agreement on psychosocial constructs (i.e., anxiety, social functioning, etc.) indicate consistent discrepancies. However, there is a gap in the literature comparing the level of parent-child discrepancy between autistic and non-autistic samples. This study compared parent-child discrepancy in anxiety for autistic and non-autistic youth. A sample of autistic children (n=28) and non-autistic children (n=17) and their parents completed the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children, Second Edition (MASC-2; March, 2012) to assess anxiety levels among autistic and non-autistic youth. Parent-child discrepancy was determined via simple difference scores by subtracting child MASC-2 scores from parent MASC-2 scores. An independent samples t-test was run on differences scores between autistic and non-autistic groups. Both autistic and non-autistic children endorsed a greater amount of anxiety symptoms than parents endorsed. Autistic youth had a mean difference in MASC-2 scores of -4.25, while non-autistic youth had a mean difference of -6.88. There was no significant difference in parent-child discrepancy between the two groups (t=-0.69; p=.50). Parent-child agreement was not different between groups, which suggests both autistic and non-autistic youth are able to report on their own anxiety but parents may not always perceive their child’s anxiety to the same extent, Findings underscore the importance of multi-informant assessment and incorporating perceptions of autistic youth.