Autism Parents 80% Divorce Stat Debunked
Glad to see that someone took the time to actually study this issue. I tried in vain to find the source of the 80% number and could never find. It always bugged me that we know divorce statistics on all kinds of other issues (different religion, lived together before marriage, etc), but the one about parents with children who have autism seemed to be pulled from a magic hat.
80 Percent Autism Divorce Rate Debunked in First-Of-Its Kind Scientific Study
Kennedy Krieger researchers find autism does not affect family structurePHILADELPHIA, PA — Having a child with autism can put stress on the parents’ marriage, and a frequently cited statistic leads to a common perception that the divorce rate among these families is as high as 80 percent. But a study to be released at a news conference today by researchers from Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore found that a child’s autism has no effect on the family structure.
Brian Freedman, PhD, lead author of the study and clinical director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute, said the findings seem to debunk a lot of the general understanding about high divorce rates among parents of children with autism. Dr. Freedman and his research team found that 64 percent of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) belong to a family with two married biological or adoptive parents, compared with 65 percent of children who do not have an ASD.
Dr. Freedman will present results of the study in Philadelphia at the International Meeting for Autism Research, an annual scientific meeting convened to exchange new scientific progress among autism researchers from around the world.
Receiving the news of a child’s autism diagnosis can be devastating, and Dr. Freedman said the pain is compounded as parents ponder what will happen to them as a couple. “In the work I’ve done with children with autism, I’ve come across many couples who quote this 80 percent divorce rate to me. They don’t know what the future holds for their child, and feel a sense of hopelessness about the future of their marriage as well — almost like getting a diagnosis of autism and a diagnosis of divorce at the same time,” he said.
With very little empirical and no epidemiological research addressing the issue of separation and divorce among parents of children with autism, researchers sought to more scientifically examine the incidence. Using data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health[1] , they examined a nationally representative sample of 77,911 children, ages 3 to 17.
Previous research speaks to the fact that parenting a child with autism is stressful, and it puts pressure on the marriage. Dr. Freedman noted that past studies have found couples with a child with autism experience more stress in their marriage than couples with typically developing children or couples with children with other types of developmental disabilities, such as Down syndrome. Mothers of children with autism report more depression than those with typically developing children, while fathers report they deal with the stress by distancing themselves and becoming less involved with the family.
“While there are indeed stressors in parenting a child with autism, it doesn’t necessarily result in the family breaking up more often than would occur in another family,” said Dr. Freedman. “And as someone who works with a team of health care professionals to treat and provide support for families of children with autism, it’s important for us to make sure our patients’ parents know that, and for our fellow clinicians to provide reliable, evidence-based information about the divorce rate among this population as well.”
This analysis of the National Survey of Children’s Health data showed there are certain factors in a family that can contribute to divorce, such as having a child with particularly challenging behaviors, with or without autism. For some families, the challenges of parenting a child with special needs may indeed result in straining the marriage to the breaking point. Further research is needed to understand the relationships among in-tact families with children with autism to identify how they work through the challenges.
“I would hope this research drives home the importance of providing support to these families, and letting them know that their relationships can survive these stressors,” he said. “We should continue to provide training for parents so that they can work through the stressors in their relationship to keep their family together and have a successful marriage.”
Dr. Freedman’s presentation will be held on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. ET during the Epidemiology 2 Session in the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown, Grand Ballroom CD Level 5 room.
In addition to Freedman, the research team includes Luther Kalb, of Kennedy Krieger Institute; and Ben Zablotsky and Dr. Elizabeth Stuart, of Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
About Autism
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is the nation’s fastest growing developmental disorder, with current incidence rates estimated at 1 in 100 children. This year more children will be diagnosed with autism than AIDS, diabetes and cancer combined, yet profound gaps remain in our understanding of both the causes and cures of the disorder. Continued research and education about developmental disruptions in individuals with ASD is crucial, as early detection and intervention can lead to improved outcomes in individuals with ASD.About Kennedy Krieger Institute
Internationally recognized for improving the lives of children and adolescents with disorders and injuries of the brain and spinal cord, the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD serves more than 13,000 individuals each year through inpatient and outpatient clinics, home and community services and school-based programs. Kennedy Krieger provides a wide range of services for children with developmental concerns mild to severe, and is home to a team of investigators who are contributing to the understanding of how disorders develop while pioneering new interventions and earlier diagnosis. For more information on Kennedy Krieger Institute, visit www.kennedykrieger.org.
The rate of divorce because of autism in child increasing day by day. People are discussing it all over the web. I believe there should be some TOLERANCE specifically when any couple faces such problems in child.
I can see how it could happen, though.
I would think that the question of whether parents would get divorced because of a child diagnosed with autism or Down Syndrome or cancer or diabetes would all depend on the quality of the relationship prior to finding out about the problem. Everybody deals with problems in different ways. Some people deal with problems and stress better than others. You may have to change problem solving strategies depending on the exact circumstances of the problem at hand. However, whether the parents will break up or not would greatly depend on whether they were good at solving problems together to begin with. If one of them takes on too much and the other just withdraws, then you can bet there will be serious problems.
Donald from Hypotonia In Babies
I appreciated your investigative journalism, but I challenge you to research the matter of Dr. Freedman’s Autism-Divorce rate and debunking the myth. This is not a myth, this is reality for too many families across the world. I wrote my personal proof as well as so many others on my webpage http://tinyurl.com/3yexkq2 that is the link. What nobody realizes is that many abusive or “in-denial” spouses will not allow a child to be diagnosed in the first place. Therefore Dr. Freedman needs to study divorces and link it to Autism, rather than study Autism and un-link it to divorce.
I am simply asking for a source on the number … 80%. Please site. Thanks, Autism Sad