Parenting stress, salivary biomarkers, and ambulatory blood pressure in mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

• We examined physiological measures of stress in mothers of children with ASD.
• Mothers had low cortisol levels, suggesting stress-related cortisol dysregulation.
• Higher unmet service needs predicted higher depression, distress and blood pressure.
• Coping strategies, socialisation and sleep problems were significant stressors.
• Higher adaptive behaviour was associated with better outcomes.

Parenting a child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is often associated with high levels of stress. This in turn can undermine the success of early intervention, and lead to poorer health outcomes for parents. The present study investigated the effects of parenting a child with an ASD on self-reported parenting stress, salivary biomarkers, and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure. Seventy-four mothers of 2–14 year olds with an ASD diagnosis completed a questionnaire booklet, which contained measures of parenting stress, and parent and child characteristics. Mothers wore an ambulatory blood pressure monitor, which collected systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate over a 24-h period. Saliva samples were collected for the purpose of measuring cortisol and alpha-amylase levels. High levels of parenting stress and anxiety, and moderately high levels of depression were reported. Mothers were found to have low cortisol levels, suggesting dysregulation of the HPA-axis and cortisol profile. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that quantity of unmet service needs, sleep problems, socialisation deficits, adaptive behaviour, and the coping strategies of self-blame and behavioural disengagement predicted maternal outcomes. Findings are discussed in relation to their implications for supporting parents of children with ASD.