The rate of divorce is double the normal rate for couples raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder, according to new study from the University of Wisconsin.
- Researchers studied 391 families participating in the Adolescents and Adult Autism Study, comparing them with families matched on the basis of the age, sex, and birth order of their children, as well as age, ethnicity, and education of the mother.
- Among parents whose children did not have autism, the rate of divorce decreased once their child turned eight years old and became "virtually nonexistent" when the child reached the mid-20s.
- This was untrue of families with a child with autism spectrum in that the risk for divorce remained the same even when the child was over 30 years old.
- The divorce rate was not related to how severe the symptoms of autism were, or if more than one child had the spectrum. However, the mother's age mattered in that younger mothers of children with autism were more likely to divorce.
The study appears in the Journal of Family Psychology.
Posted By: Jane St. Clair