Parental attitudes of single mothers of children with autism and mothers of neurotypical children

Abstract

The parent’s upbringing competencies become particularly important when he or she is bringing up a child alone but also when the child’s development is nonstandard. The basis of these competencies is appropriate parental attitude. The aim of the study was to attempt to answer the question of whether or not parental attitudes of single mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders differ significantly from the attitudes of mothers of neurotypical children. The participants in the study were 51 mothers of children with autism and 32 mothers of children with normal development. Both in the case of single mothers bringing up children with autism spectrum disorders and in those bringing up neurotypical children, parental attitudes were characterized by autonomy and – at the same time – by high inconsistency. Moreover, mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders exhibited slightly higher intensity of protective–demanding attitude. The study also revealed interesting differences in the correlations of parental attitudes of mothers from both groups with the levels of particular personality traits.