Moms of Autistic Kids More Susceptible.

• Position: DEPRESSION

About 50% of all mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had elevated levels of depressive symptoms over 18 months, while rates were much lower (6.1% to 13.6%) for mothers with neurotypical children in the same period, researchers at the University of California-San Francisco report in a study published in Family Process.

In addition, while past studies suggest having a parent with depression increases the risk that children will have mental health and behavior problems, this study uncovered something different. "We found mothers' higher symptoms of depression did not predict increases in children's behavior problems over time, including among families with a child with autism who experience a lot of stress," says first author Danielle Roubinov, assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. "That was surprising and good news."

Notes senior author Elissa Epel, professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science: "Being the parent of a child with special needs is inherently challenging every day. It is a prototypical example of chronic stress, which is why we have been focusing on caregiving moms in our studies that examine effects of stress on health. We already know from this sample that mothers with more depression tend to have signs of faster biological aging, such as lower levels of the anti-aging hormone klotho and...