2016 Gatlinburg Conference Poster
PS-77
Title: The Relationship of Behavior Changes in Males with FXS to Maternal Mental Health from Middle Childhood to Adolescence
Authors: Steven Warren, Shelley L. Breden-Oja, Kandance Fleming, Nancy Brady
Introduction: Children and adolescents with Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) are at risk for a variety of behavior problems. These can
create substantial challenges for their parents. This analysis was conducted as part of a larger longitudinal study (Brady et al.,
2014). We collected maternal report data on the behavior of 27 males with FXS in middle-childhood and again when they were
adolescents. We also collected data on the mother's perception of her relationship with the child, her emotional state, and a selfreport measure of depression.
Methods: Twenty seven mothers from a larger longitudinal study participated in additional data collection regarding their son's
behaviors and their own mental health. The mean age of these males was 111 months (SD= 8.9 months) at the first data
collection, and 165 months (SD=11.9 months) at the second collection. Nine of the 27 males had comorbid autism. Twenty-six of
the mothers were carriers and one had the full FXS mutation. We collected the middle childhood data during a home visit and
the adolescent data point via mail. The measures collected for this analysis were the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Profile
of Mood States (POMS), the CES-D (a measure of maternal depression symptoms), and the Social Communication Questionnaire
(SCQ).
Results: Scores on the CBCL generally improved for the males without autism from middle childhood to adolescence but either
decreased modestly or were flat for boys with comorbid autism. SCQ scores were stable from the middle childhood to
adolescence, indicating that autism symptoms were stable over this time. Males without autism averaged 9.93 (SD=5.84) on the
SCQ in middle childhood and averaged 10.47 (SD=5.29) in adolescence. Males with autism averaged 19.44 (SD=5.68) on the SCQ
in middle childhood and 21.44 (SD=4.45) in adolescence.
For the males without autism maternal POMS Anger-Hostility scores declined significantly (t (15) = 2.57, p=.021, d= .65) from
childhood (M=5.44, SD=3.98) to adolescence (M=3.31, SD=3.55). Maternal scores also declined modestly but not significantly on
the POMS Tension-Anxiety scores and CES-D depression scores for these males. For 9 males with autism, maternal POMS
Tension-Anxiety scores increased from 10.22 (SD=4.32) to 13.00 (SD=5). This was not a statistically significant increase, t(8) =
1.73, p=.12, although the effect size for the difference was moderate (d=.58). At the middle childhood period, the POMS AngerHostility scores were significantly different between the groups. Tension-Anxiety score was not significantly different, but the
effect size was moderate. However, in adolescence, both scores were significantly different between the groups.
Discussion: This dataset is limited in size and scope and should be viewed as preliminary. Nevertheless, the data suggest that
differences in the parenting burden of males with FXS and autism may pose an increasing risk for mother's to experience mood
disorders during their child's adolescence. For mothers of males with FXS but no autism, the data suggest a stable and in some
ways improving picture that may help buffer them from further risk in terms of their own mental health.
References/Citations:
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Brady, N., Warren, S.F., Fleming, K., Keller, J. & Sterling, A. ( 2014).The effect of sustained maternal responsivity on later
vocabulary development in children with fragile X syndrome. Journal of Speech, Language, Hearing Research, 57, 212226. PMCID 386461