Open AccessMother-father physiological synchrony during conflict and moderation by parenting challenges: Findings from parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Author(s) -
Lauren M. Papp,
Kimberly C. Drastal,
Emily Lorang,
Sigan L. Hartley
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
families systems and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.491
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1939-0602
pISSN - 1091-7527
DOI - 10.1037/fsh0000525
Subject(s) - moderation , autism spectrum disorder , psychology , developmental psychology , autism , social psychology
Despite robust evidence in the broader family process literature for within-couple associations between romantic partners' physiological responding, this linkage has not been tested directly among parents raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Explicit attention to these parents is warranted on the basis of the established family-wide challenges associated with the persistent emotional, functional, and behavior impairments typically observed in children with ASD (see Karst & Van Hecke, 2012). The first purpose of this study is to extend examination of within-couple associations between electrodermal activity (EDA) to mothers and fathers of children with ASD. The second purpose is to test 2 potential moderators of EDA synchrony reflecting heightened challenges among parents of children with ASD, namely parenting as an observed conflict topic and global parenting stress.