Longitudinal effects of educational involvement on parent and family functioning among mothers of children with ASD

• The longitudinal effects of three forms of educational involvement on parent and family functioning were examined in 113 mothers of children with ASD.
• Home-based involvement was associated with decreased maternal distress, increased parenting efficacy, and increased family cohesion over time.
• Home-school communication was associated with decreased maternal distress and increased parenting efficacy over time.
• School-based involvement was associated with decreased maternal distress only.
• In several instances, maternal home-based involvement moderated the impact of child and maternal risk factors on parent and family outcomes.

Utilizing a cohort sequential design and multilevel modeling on a sample of 113 mothers, the effects of three forms of maternal educational involvement (school-based involvement, home-based involvement, and home-school communication) on maternal and family functioning (maternal psychological distress, parenting efficacy, and family cohesion) were assessed over a seven year period when children with ASD in the study were 7–14 years of age. Findings indicated that maternal home-based educational involvement was linked to decreased psychological distress as well as to increased parenting efficacy and family cohesion, while home-school communication was linked to decreased distress and increased parenting efficacy (school-based involvement was related to decreased maternal distress only). In addition, in two instances, home-based involvement was found to moderate the effects of child and maternal risk factors (child problem behavior and stress proliferation) on maternal and family outcomes. Study findings are discussed in light of prior research and study limitations and implications are highlighted.