Genetics liability versus parenting style as predictors of psychological adjustment of siblings of children with autistic spectrum disorder

Abstract

Objective. The present study explored the contribution of the biological variable of Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP), the environmental variable of autism severity and the environmental variable of parenting style as predicting factors of the psychological adjustment of siblings of children with ASDs. Method. The participants consisted of 84 mothers who has at least one child diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder and one typically developing child. Measures. The Greek versions of four tests were used to gather data from the participants. All tests were translated and adapted for use in the Greek population. The Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire (PSDQ), the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Social and Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) were administered. Results. The environmental factor of parenting style was found to be the most significant predictor of the psychological adjustment of the siblings of children with ASDs while the other environmental predictor, the autism severity of the diagnosed child, did not contribute significantly to predictive model. The biological variable -the Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP)- explained partially a smaller but significant part of the variance of the phenomenon.