Examination of Bidirectional Relationships Between Parent Stress and Two Types of Problem Behavior in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Path analysis within a structural equation modeling framework was employed to examine the relationships between two types of parent stress and children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviors over a 4-year period, in a sample of 184 mothers of young children with autism spectrum disorder. Parent stress was measured with the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form and child behavior was measured with Child Behavior Checklist/1.5–5. Across all time …