Sleep Problems in Children with ASD and Mothers' Stress: the Mediating Role of Mother's Quality of Life and Moderator Role of Mother's Resilience.

This study looked at 188 families with autistic children to understand how children's sleep problems affect mothers. When children with autism have sleep difficulties, their mothers experience more stress and lower quality of life. The research found that a mother's ability to cope (resilience) can help protect against some of this stress. The study shows how sleep problems create a cycle - poor sleep leads to more difficult behaviors during the day, which increases mother's stress.

This cross-sectional study examined relationships between sleep problems in children with ASD (n=188) and maternal stress, exploring quality of life as a mediator and resilience as a moderator. Results showed children's sleep problems significantly predicted maternal stress (b=0.21, p<.001) and negatively impacted maternal quality of life (b=-0.21, p<.01). Maternal stress was associated with poorer quality of life (b=-0.18, p<.01). The study confirmed that maternal quality of life mediates the relationship between child sleep problems and maternal stress, while maternal resilience serves as a moderating factor.

Findings highlight the cyclical nature of sleep difficulties, behavioral problems, and parental stress in ASD families.

Clinicians should assess sleep problems in autistic children as part of family wellbeing evaluations. Interventions targeting child sleep may reduce maternal stress. Supporting maternal resilience and quality of life could help families cope with ongoing sleep challenges.

Cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions. Sample characteristics not fully described. Study type and recruitment methods unclear. Reliance on questionnaire data may introduce response bias. No control group comparison reported.

The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of mother's quality of life and moderator role of mother's resilience in the relationship between sleep problems in children with ASD and mothers' stress. One hundred and eighty eight children and their mothers participated in the present study. Questionnaires were used to collect data. The results of the mediation and mediated moderation analyses in this context confirmed the hypotheses of the study.

The results provided important data on the factors that affect the mothers' stress of children with ASD and how mother's resilience can play a moderating role. Sleep problems in children with ASD indicates mothers' stress (b = 0.21, p < .001, 95% CI [0.18, 0.24]) and mother's quality of life (b = -0.21, p < .01), 95% CI [-0.20, 0.25]). After controlling for the effect of sleep problems, mothers' stress predicted mother's quality of life at negative and significant levels (b = -. 18, p < .01, 95% CI [-0.11, 0.22]). Children with ASD often exhibit sleep difficulties which increase maladaptive daytime behaviors and this impacts their mothers' stress.

This in its turn leads to poor health outcomes for mothers. Accordingly, increased, prolonged parental stress can be related to decreased health-related quality of life (QoL). The relationship between poor sleep of the child, increased problem behaviors, and parent's stress becomes a perpetual cycle.