Association of emotion dysregulation in neurodiverse youth and parental quality of life
Presentation Type
Abstract
Faculty Advisor
Erin Kang
Access Type
Event
Start Date
25-4-2025 12:00 PM
End Date
25-4-2025 1:00 PM
Description
Emotion dysregulation (ED) is a transdiagnostic factor involving challenges with processing and regulating emotions (Aldao et al., 2016). Despite ED’s impact on social, academic, and family functioning (Dvir et al., 2014), little research has examined its broader association with quality of life (QOL). No research to our knowledge has examined how ED relates to parent’s QOL, and how this relationship may differ across autistic and non-autistic youth. Parents of 117 youth (Mage=10.64; SDage=3.14; 55.4% male, 70 autistic; 4.1% Black, 11.6% Asian, 1.7% Native American, 4.1% MENA, 19.8% Multiracial, 47.1% White; IQ: 40-140) reported their child’s emotional reactivity and dysphoria (EDI; Mazefsky et al., 2021), autistic traits (SRS-2; Constantino & Gruber, 2012) and QOL (WHOQoL; World Health Organization, 2004). Lower parent QOL correlated with higher ED dysphoria, reactivity, and autistic traits in youth (all r<-.244, p<.001), with similar patterns in autistic and non-autistic groups separately (p<.001). Multiple regressions indicated that child ED dysphoria uniquely predicted parent QOL related to social relationships (b=-.106, p=.003) and autistic traits uniquely predicted parent QOL related to environment (b=-.088, p=.018). Results suggest that child’s ED dysphoria, reactivity, and autistic traits affect parental QOL. ED dysphoria may play an important role in parent’s social QOL. Parents of children with greater autistic traits may experience challenges related to structuring their environments, which could lead to increased stress and reduced QOL. This underscores the importance of support for parents and how interventions targeting ED in autistic youth, not just autism symptoms, may improve parental stress and QOL.
Association of emotion dysregulation in neurodiverse youth and parental quality of life
Emotion dysregulation (ED) is a transdiagnostic factor involving challenges with processing and regulating emotions (Aldao et al., 2016). Despite ED’s impact on social, academic, and family functioning (Dvir et al., 2014), little research has examined its broader association with quality of life (QOL). No research to our knowledge has examined how ED relates to parent’s QOL, and how this relationship may differ across autistic and non-autistic youth. Parents of 117 youth (Mage=10.64; SDage=3.14; 55.4% male, 70 autistic; 4.1% Black, 11.6% Asian, 1.7% Native American, 4.1% MENA, 19.8% Multiracial, 47.1% White; IQ: 40-140) reported their child’s emotional reactivity and dysphoria (EDI; Mazefsky et al., 2021), autistic traits (SRS-2; Constantino & Gruber, 2012) and QOL (WHOQoL; World Health Organization, 2004). Lower parent QOL correlated with higher ED dysphoria, reactivity, and autistic traits in youth (all r<-.244, p<.001), with similar patterns in autistic and non-autistic groups separately (p<.001). Multiple regressions indicated that child ED dysphoria uniquely predicted parent QOL related to social relationships (b=-.106, p=.003) and autistic traits uniquely predicted parent QOL related to environment (b=-.088, p=.018). Results suggest that child’s ED dysphoria, reactivity, and autistic traits affect parental QOL. ED dysphoria may play an important role in parent’s social QOL. Parents of children with greater autistic traits may experience challenges related to structuring their environments, which could lead to increased stress and reduced QOL. This underscores the importance of support for parents and how interventions targeting ED in autistic youth, not just autism symptoms, may improve parental stress and QOL.
Comments
Poster presentation at the 2025 Student Research Symposium.