Martial burnout in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder: the role of marital communication and sociodemographicfactors

Abstract

Raising a child with special needs poses a challenge for their parents not only as caregivers but also as spouses. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationships between communication behaviors, both own and partners’, and the level of marital burnout in mothers with a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Moderating role of selected sociodemographic factors, such as duration of marriage, number of children, age of a child with disorder, professional activity of mothers, and perceived parents' contribution to caring for a child with an autism spectrum disorder was also tested. The Marital Communication Questionnaire, the Marital Burnout scale and a sociodemographic survey were used in the study. The sample was composed of 100 women, married mothers of a child with ASD. The results showed an inverse relationship between own and partner’s supportive and engaged communication, and the feeling of marital burnout in women. At the same time, there was a positive relationship between depreciation in own and partner’s communication and female burnout. These relationships were not moderated by any of the sociodemographic variables.