An examination of maternal perceptions of factors affecting psychological adjustment of siblings of children with autism in Lebanon -

Abstract

With the continually increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the likelihood of having a sibling with an ASD diagnosis is also increasing. The present study was concerned with maternal perceptions of sibling psychological adjustment. The psychological adjustment of siblings of children with ASD has been examined in relation to several variables in the literature; with the most salient being symptom severity, sibling differential parenting, and parental satisfaction. The study aimed to examine (a) maternal perceptions of these salient factors, specifically assessing the extent to which they affect psychological adjustment in siblings of children with ASD in Lebanon; (b) the correlation between demographic variables – birth order, gender, family income, mother’s educational level, and family size – and sibling adjustment; and (c) the extent to which siblings of children with ASD differ from siblings of typically developing children in terms of their psychological adjustment. There is an absence of research on the psychological adjustment of siblings of children with ASD in Lebanon, thus making this study a first of its kind in the country. A total of 70 Lebanese mothers of children with ASD completed the Arabic version of the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism, Sibling Inventory of Differential Experience, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and a demographics questionnaire. Symptom severity, parental satisfaction and sibling differential parenting were significant predictors of sibling psychological adjustment. When partialling for the effects of the demographic variables, symptom severity was no longer a significant predictor. Family size and Family income were two significant demographics .A total of 68 Lebanese mothers of children who are typically developing completed the Arabic version of Sibling Inventory of Differential Experience, the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire an