The role of theory of mind on the stress intensity of parents of children with ASD

Research indicates many children with ASD show deficits in theory of mind (ToM) ability, and their parents experience more stress than parents of typically developing (TD) children. We evaluated how ToM abilities impact the association between developmental status (TD and ASD) and parental stress intensity (PSI) in 101 children (ages 3:0 to 6:11) and their parents. A moderation analysis indicated the main effect of status on PSI was significant intensity (B = -1.509, CI95 [-12.386, 9.368], p = .783) but the effect of ToM skills on PSI was not (B = -.956, CI95 [-4.673, 2.761], p = .611). The findings suggest that even when ToM abilities appear similar, parents of children with ASD may experience higher parental stress