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AbstractObjectiveThe current study examined whether the unmet needs of parents of children with autism in Qatar predicted parent well‐being and whether sociodemographic factors and child characteristics were associated with parental unmet needs.BackgroundParents of children with autism have unmet needs that may negatively impact family members. There is little research examining unmet needs outside Europe or North America.MethodParticipants of this cross‐sectional, correlational study were 41 parents of a child with autism residing in Qatar. Parents completed surveys in Arabic about their sociodemographic characteristics, their unmet needs, their well‐being, social support, and their child's behavior.ResultsRegression analyses were performed to test the research questions. Greater unmet needs were a significant predictor of life satisfaction. Child behavior problems were a significant predictor of unmet needs, namely the need for family support and help explaining their child's diagnosis to others.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that the unmet needs of parents of children with autism are negatively associated with life satisfaction and are heightened in families where children have more behavior problems.ImplicationsThe Qatar government developed a national plan for autism and our results underscore the need to implement programs to support families of children with autism. An important first step is to ensure that developmentally appropriate information is provided to families and to facilitate connections between families and other stakeholders (e.g., other parents and service providers) in their community.

Helicopter parenting during emerging adulthood, a developmental period highlighting autonomy and self-reliance, can undermine college students' well-being. The current study examined the mediating role of emotion dysregulation in the association between helicopter parenting and mental health outcomes among college-aged adults. A sample of 790 college students completed questionnaires on perceived helicopter parenting, emotion dysregulation, depression, social anxiety, and alcohol use. Results generally supported the hypothesized mediation model, but associations depended on the specific helicopter parenting behavior, emotion dysregulation dimension, and mental health outcome. Autonomy limiting was particularly detrimental to all emotion dysregulation dimensions and mental health, whereas information-seeking behaviors may be beneficial to emerging adults' outcomes. Impulse control difficulties and lack of emotional clarity emerged as robust mediators. The findings highlight the importance of disentangling specific helicopter parenting behaviors as well as emotion dysregulation as a mechanism of risk, providing useful clinical implications for the improvement of college students' well-being.

AbstractAlthough difficulties with social relationships are key to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), no previous study has examined infant attachment security prior to ASD diagnosis. We prospectively assessed attachment security at 15 months in high‐risk infants with later ASD (high‐risk/ASD, n = 16), high‐risk infants without later ASD (high‐risk/no‐ASD, n = 40), and low‐risk infants without later ASD (low‐risk/no‐ASD, n = 39) using the Strange Situation Procedure. High‐risk/ASD infants were disproportionately more likely to be classified as insecure (versus secure) and more likely to be classified as insecure‐resistant (versus secure or avoidant) than high‐risk/no‐ASD and low‐risk/no‐ASD infants. High‐risk infants with insecure‐resistant attachments were over nine times more likely to receive an ASD diagnosis than high‐risk infants with secure attachments. Insecure‐resistant attachment in high‐risk infants suggests a propensity toward negative affect with the parent in conditions of stress. Insecure‐resistant attachment may prove useful as a potential early index of propensity toward ASD diagnosis in high‐risk siblings, while insecure‐resistant attachment in the context of emergent autism may contribute to difficulties experienced by children with ASD and their families.