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Psychology and Psychotechnics
Reference:

Factors of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders

Krivoshei Kristina Olegovna

ORCID: 0009-0002-2948-2245

Postgraduate student, Altai State University

656049, Russia, Altai Krai, Barnaul, Lenin Avenue, 61

krivosheypsy@yandex.ru

DOI:

10.7256/2454-0722.2024.3.68822

EDN:

ECMXXL

Received:

27-10-2023


Published:

28-09-2024


Abstract: Recently, the number of children with autism spectrum disorder has been growing, and accordingly, the number of families in which a special child is brought up is growing. According to a University of Wisconsin study, parents of children with special needs experience a stress level comparable to that experienced by a serviceman in a combat zone. Parents and especially mothers raising a child are experiencing chronic stress, which determines the development of parental burnout syndrome. The aim of the study is to identify the factors determining the development of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder. The subject of the study is a comparative analysis of the severity of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder. Identification of factors of development of parental burnout will allow to determine the target symptoms for the prevention and correction of this syndrome. The sample consisted of 54 mothers aged 36.52±6.54 years who have a child with autism spectrum disorder of preschool age, the age of children is 6.1± 1.72. The research methodology is the questionnaire "Parental burnout" by Efimova, used to study the level of parental burnout. Mothers raising children with autism spectrum disorders and being divorced have a significantly higher level of emotional exhaustion than married women and women living in a civil marriage. Satisfaction with marital relations is a factor influencing the indicators of parental burnout of women raising children with autism spectrum disorders. The scientific novelty of the study is to determine the role of marital satisfaction in the development of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders.


Keywords:

autism spectrum disorder, parental burnout, family situation, emotional exhaustion, childhood autism, maternal burnout, emotional burnout, special development situation, burnout syndrome, intra-family climate

This article is automatically translated.

Recently, the number of children with autism spectrum disorder has been growing, and accordingly the number of families in which a special child is being raised is growing. According to a University of Wisconsin study, parents of children with special needs experience stress levels comparable to those experienced by a soldier in a combat zone. Parents, and especially mothers raising a child, experience chronic stress, which determines the development of parental burnout syndrome. In families with special children, life turns into a struggle. Parents are experiencing constant stress because they worry about the child and take care of him 24 hours a day.

Identification of the factors of development of parental burnout will help to identify the target symptoms for the prevention and correction of this syndrome.

This study is of particular importance due to the urgent need to develop effective psychological support measures for mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder.

N.O. Kerre, O.S. Nikolskaya, L.L. Mikaelyan, U.A. Mamokhina, O.N. Pervushina, O.V. Kiseleva and others studied the family situation of the development of children with autism spectrum disorders. Such families are characterized by high stress and increased anxiety due to the uncertainty of the child's prospects and his further state of health. The usual ideas of parenting are not suitable for children with autism spectrum disorders because of the distinctive behavior in interacting with them. In this case, an individual approach is required, which complicates the situation of parents, who are already exhausted by the whole situation [1-3].

Psychological features of the climate in families where there is a child with autism spectrum disorder can be found in the works of T.N. Volkova, V.V. Tkacheva, Yu.A. Blinkov, M.V. Ippolitova, E.M. Mastyukova, M.M. Semago, etc. It is possible to identify common signs that characterize these families: a feeling of fatigue, neuropsychic stress; irritation, dissatisfaction with parents that the child does not meet expectations; deterioration of the relationship between spouses due to difficulties and accumulated fatigue; a decrease in social status, due to a lack of understanding of the society's internal picture of the situation, lack of support; often one of the parents have to give up work in order to meet the special needs of the child [4-6].

The current special family situation is extremely difficult. Being in such conditions leads mothers to parental burnout. The phenomenon of parental burnout was studied by such Russian scientists as T.Y. Fadeeva, L.A. Bazaleva, N.N. Koroleva, I.N. Efimova, L.V. Petranovskaya and others. Parental burnout is defined as a specific syndrome that has arisen due to prolonged exposure to a stressful situation, which is associated with the upbringing of a child. Parental burnout is based on three components: emotional exhaustion, emotional alienation and a feeling of not being successful in the parental role [7-12].

I.N. Efimova has advanced the three-component structure of the phenomenon of parental burnout. The first thing a mother experiences is emotional exhaustion. A feeling of exhaustion of emotions, loss of interest in what is happening around, possible emotional outbursts. Next, depersonalization occurs, in which the mother's contact with the child loses its emotional coloring, and the level of empathy decreases. It all comes down to the mechanical maintenance of important needs. And the last step is the reduction of parental achievements, when there is no longer even the strength to meet the basic needs of the child, a decrease in their parental efforts and dissatisfaction with themselves as a parent [13].

L. A. Bazaleva compares parenthood with work, but which will not end and from which you can not just leave. This is a painstaking, irregular daily activity, which in itself is a factor in the development of burnout. The researcher also identified the personality traits of mothers who are more prone to parental burnout. These are highly anxious mothers, overly trusting, prone to depression, very self-critical, and quickly respond emotionally to stimuli [14, 15].

Foreign researchers have also contributed to the study of the phenomenon of parental burnout. This is I. Roscam, M. Mikolajczak, T. Kawamoto, K. Aunola, M. Raes, A. Lebert-Charron, and others M. Burisch identified six successive stages of parental burnout. The first phase is a warning one: sacrificing one's interests in favor of taking care of a child. Sleep disorders appear, anxiety and exhaustion increase. The second phase is a decrease in the level of self-participation, a weakening of interest in the child and the expectation of "convenient behavior" from the child. In the third phase, the parent avoids spending time with the child. There is a feeling of guilt and anger at yourself. The fourth phase is destructive behavior, the "falling out" of the parent from the parenting process, and the satisfaction of basic needs "on the machine." Then there are psychosomatic reactions and decreased immunity. And the final stage is disappointment and a negative life attitude. There is a feeling of helplessness, loss of the meaning of life, indifference to everything [16-18].

M. Mikolajczak, I. Roskam in their research found that parental burnout is often underestimated, but it can be destructive. In this condition, suicidal thoughts appear, an increase in the risk of dependent behavior, sleep disorders, health disorders, an increase in the frequency of conflicts in the family and the possibility of using violent behavior towards a child [19, 20].

Parental burnout has a multifactorial origin. This always happens in response to a long-term imbalance between stressors and the parent's resources. No factor by itself can lead to parental burnout, but raising a child with special needs is a risk factor [21].

The procedure and methodology of the study

The aim of the study is to determine the factors determining the development of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder.

The subject of the study is a comparative analysis of the severity of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder.

The scientific novelty of the study is to determine the role of marital satisfaction in the development of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders.

Research methodology: theories of parental burnout in parents raising children with autism spectrum disorders (V. V. Boyko, L. A. Bazaleva, O.S. Nikolskaya); the provision on general and specific patterns of development of children with various types of dysontogenesis (L.S. Vygotsky, V.V. Lebedinsky, V.I. Lubovsky).

The hypothesis of the study: presumably parental burnout in mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders has differences depending on the availability of help with the child, on the availability of free time, availability of work, satisfaction with the relationship with parents and satisfaction with family relations with a spouse.

The empirical study was conducted on the basis of the KGB "Altai Regional Center for Psychological, Pedagogical, medical and Social Assistance". The survey included information about age and marital status. 127 mothers with children with ASD participated in the initial survey on a voluntary basis. The children had an official diagnosis, confirmed by an entry in the medical record, and were sent to the center for psychocorrection classes with a psychologist. Women with more than 3 children, as well as women who are in a civil marriage, or additionally have a child with other diseases, were excluded from the sample. In addition, mothers whose children suffered from ASD for less than 1 year were excluded, since a short period of the disease could affect the results of the study. The final sample consisted of 54 mothers aged 36.52±6.54 years with a child with autism spectrum disorder of preschool age, the age of children was 6.1±1.72.

Research methods and techniques:

The questionnaire "Parental burnout" by I. N. Efimova was used to study the level of parental burnout and its symptoms: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduction of parental achievements.

Methods of mathematical and statistical data processing: one-factor analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U-test, Spearman correlation analysis using the statistical package "SPSS Statistics 23.0".

The results of the study

Table 1.

Characteristics of the levels of development of symptoms of parental burnout

Indicator

The level of development of the symptom

Number of people

Emotional exhaustion

low 0-15 points

20

average 16-24 points

10

High score of 25 or more

24

Total

54

Depersonalization

low 0-5 points

28

average 6 – 10 points

20

High 11 or more points

6

Total

54

Reduction of parental achievements

Low 37 or more points

38

average 36 – 31 points

8

High 30 or less points

8

Total

54

The most pronounced symptom of parental burnout is emotional exhaustion. The least pronounced symptom in the group of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder is a reduction in parental achievements.

Table 2.

Characteristics of symptoms of parental burnout in mothers with different numbers of children

Indicator

Number of children

Number of women

Average

Srednekv.deviation

Emotional exhaustion

1,00

24

22,3750

12,85982

2,00

23

19,0870

10,03590

3,00

7

23,2857

8,97616

Total

54

21,0926

11,21702

Depersonalization

1,00

24

6,9167

4,72658

2,00

23

4,8696

3,49421

3,00

7

6,2857

3,59232

Total

54

5,9630

4,14348

Reduction of parental achievements

1,00

24

31,6250

7,79527

2,00

23

35,3043

7,10592

3,00

7

33,0000

5,77350

Total

54

33,3704

7,35693

Table 2 presents an analysis of the average values of symptoms of parental burnout in mothers with different numbers of children. The use of single-factor analysis of variance revealed no differences in the severity of symptoms depending on the number of children. But the analysis of average values shows a more pronounced development of symptoms of emotional exhaustion in women with three children, symptoms of depersonalization and reduction of parental achievements in mothers with an only child.

To identify differences in the indicators of parental burnout in women raising children with autism spectrum disorders, with different marital status and satisfaction with relationships with their spouse, the Mann-Whitney U-test was applied, with the help of it significant differences in the indicators of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduction of parental achievements in two groups of subjects were obtained. Women raising children with autism spectrum disorders and being divorced have significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion (Z=3.862; p=0.01), depersonalization (Z=3.698; p=0.01), reduction of parental achievements (Z=3.41; p=0.01).

Table 3.

The difference in symptoms of parental burnout in mothers with different marital status

Marital status

N

Average rank

Z

p

Emotional exhaustion

married

40

22,61

3,862

0,010

divorced

14

41,46

Depersonalization

married

40

22,84

3,698

0,010

divorced

14

40,82

Reduction of parental achievements

married

40

31,81

3,412

0,010

divorced

14

15,18

We suggested that an important factor in the development of symptoms of maternal parental burnout may be the characteristics of the system of relationships of a mother raising a child with autism spectrum disorder with her husband, parents, as well as the factor of having a job, having help with a child, having free time.

Table 4.

Factors of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders

Parameter

Meaning

number of people

%

Having help with a child

there is

31

57

no

23

43

Availability of personal time

there is

41

76

no

13

24

Marital satisfaction

satisfied

33

61

not satisfied

21

39

Availability of work

there is

40

74

no

14

26

Satisfaction with the relationship with parents

satisfied

42

78

not satisfied

12

22

The analysis of the questionnaire showed that the acute issue is the availability of assistance in raising a child. The results showed that 43% of women do not receive assistance in raising a child, 57% receive assistance in raising a child, and only 10% receive this assistance from their husbands. More often, grandmothers, older children and other relatives help mothers raise a child with autism.

Of the total number of participants in the study, 33 women, which is 61%, described their relationship with their spouse as satisfactory, and 21 women, 39%, were not satisfied with their relationship with their partner. Women who are satisfied with their relationship with their spouse are less susceptible to parental burnout.

The application of the Mann-Whitney U-test showed that an important factor in the development of symptoms of parental burnout is satisfaction with the relationship with the spouse and the mother's personal time. Significant differences were obtained in the severity of symptoms of parental burnout, emotional exhaustion (Z=2.952; p=0.003), depersonalization (Z=2.978; p=0.003), reduction of parental achievements, depersonalization (Z=2.81; p=0.005) in the group of mothers satisfied and dissatisfied with marital relations according to the I. N. Efimova questionnaire (see table 5).

Table 5.

The difference in symptoms of parental burnout in women who are satisfied and dissatisfied with marital relations

Marital satisfaction

N

Average rank

Z

p

Emotional exhaustion

satisfied

33

24,67

2,952

0,003

not satisfied

21

48,32

Depersonalization

satisfied

33

21,34

2,978

0,003

not satisfied

21

43,43

Reduction of parental achievements

satisfied

33

36,67

2,814

0,005

not satisfied

21

21,14

A group of mothers who are dissatisfied with their relationship with their spouse have higher rates of emotional exhaustion, characterized by a feeling of emptiness, detachment from the outside world. The resources of the mother's relationship to the child are exhausted. It is characterized by anger at the undesirable behavior of the child, loss of interest in the child. The emotional background of such mothers is accompanied by irritability, fatigue, and depressive symptoms.

Mothers who are dissatisfied with their relationship with their spouse also have higher symptoms of depersonalization. With depresonalization, the mother's desire to spend time outside the house increases, attention becomes focused on solving household issues, cleaning the house, cooking. Spending time with a child is limited to serving basic needs without emotional impact. The reduction of parental achievements of women raising a child with autism and dissatisfied with marital relations is manifested in a decrease in parental competence, a sense of indifference to household issues, the child's achievements and a decrease in self-esteem.

Significant differences in the presence or absence of personal time were revealed when applying the Mann-Whitney U-test. Women who have personal time have a lower level of emotional exhaustion (Z=3.432; p=0.01) (see Table 6)

Table 6.

The difference in symptoms of parental burnout in mothers with and without personal time

Availability of personal time

N

Average rank

Z

p

Emotional exhaustion

there is

41

24,21

3,432

0,01

no

13

43,17

Personal time makes it possible to switch the focus of attention to yourself, find a resource for normal functioning, and the realization of needs. The lack of personal time of the mother is a factor in the occurrence of parental burnout. Accumulated fatigue, chronic stress, lead to impaired interaction with the child. The quality time that a mother can devote to a child is reduced to meeting the basic needs of the child, without the emotional impact that is so important for the full development of the child.

There were no significant differences in the parameters of assistance with a child, job availability, and satisfaction with relationships with parents.

To identify the relationships between the symptoms of parental burnout, Spearman's correlation analysis was used, which showed the presence of reliable relationships. A positive correlation was revealed between the parameters emotional exhaustion and depersonalization (r=0.621; p=0.01). The higher the mothers' emotional exhaustion, expressed in feelings of emotional overstrain, loss of interest in their own children and the environment in general, in indifference or emotional oversaturation, the higher the manifestations of parental depersonalization.

Emotional exhaustion (r=-0.817; p=0.01) and depersonalization (r=-0.618; p=0.01) are interrelated with the development of symptoms of reduction of parental achievements, manifested in a decrease in the sense of competence in fulfilling one's parental role, dissatisfaction with oneself, a decrease in the value of parenthood and a negative self-perception of fulfilling one's parental duties.

The obtained relationships indicate the relationship of the symptoms of parental burnout with each other, an increase in one symptom of parental burnout will contribute to an increase in other symptoms.

The paper draws the following conclusions:

  1. Emotional exhaustion is the most common symptom of parental burnout in mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder.
  2. Women who are married and satisfied with marital relations have less pronounced symptoms of parental burnout, satisfaction with marital relations acts as a resource to curb the development of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder.
  3. The lack of free time for a mother raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder is a factor contributing to the development of emotional exhaustion.
  4. The number of children, job availability, and satisfaction with relationships with parents do not affect the development of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder.

The data obtained in the study clarify scientific ideas about the features of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders that have not been studied before. The conclusions of the work can serve as motivation to continue and expand the study of families, to formulate new hypotheses on parental burnout, and, consequently, to new scientific research and significant results.

References
1. Kiseleva, O.V. (2020). The role of family factors in the development of children with neuropsychiatric disorders and autism spectrum disorders. Issues of mental health of children and adolescents, 20(1), 100-111.
2. Pervushina, O.N., Kiseleva, O.V., Murashova, T.A., & Dorosheva, E.A. (2021). Emotional state of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Issues of mental health of children and adolescents: Scientific and practical peer-reviewed journal of psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy and related disciplines, 21(1), 14-23.
3. Konishcheva, A.V. (2022). Approaches to the Study of Parental Attitude in Russian Psychology. Psychology and Law, 12(3), 88-96.
4. Krasnoshchekova, I.V., & Kovshova, O.S. (2019). Psychological characteristics of the personality of a mother raising a child with mental dysontogenesis. Neurological Bulletin, 3, 36-42.
5. Bragina, E.A., Belozerova, L.A., & Prokofieva, M.V. (2021). Attitude towards the child and the family role of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorders and children with speech disorders. Vector of Science TSU. Series: Pedagogy, psychology, 2, 39-45.
6. Bogacheva, O.I., & Ivanov, M.V. (2019). Features of maternal attitude to the disease of children with autism spectrum disorders. Issues of mental health of children and adolescents, 3(19), 21-28.
7. Bazaleva, L.A. (2010). Possibilities for the study of emotional burnout in mothers in personality psychology. Bulletin of the Adyghe State University, 1, 168-176.
8. Efimova, I.E. (2018). The results of the study of feelings of guilt in parents of children with disabilities. Modern scientific research and development, 6(23), 254-257.
9. Fadeeva, T. Yu. (2021). Psychological factors of parental burnout of fathers and mothers. Bulletin of the Saratov University. New episode. Series: Acmeology of education. Psychology of development, 10, 4 (40)), 334–343.
10. Ilyina, T.I. (2019). Identity crisis as a factor of manifestation of emotional burnout syndrome in women mothers. Man and education, 3(60), 85-93.
11. Bazaleva, L.A. (2009). Mothers attitude to child in the connection of her being fired up. Humanization of education, 6, 88-93.
12. Andreeva, M., & Kondaurova, O. (2022). Emotional burnout of mothers with infant children. Kazan Pedagogical Journal, 5, 236-243
13. Efimova, I. N. (2013). Potentials of studying the parent’s «burnout» syndrome. Bulletin of the State University of Education. Series: Psychology, 4, 31-40.
14. Bazaleva, L.A. (2009). The attitude of a mother to a child in connection with her emotional burnout. Humanization of education, 6, 88-93.
15. Bazaleva, L.A., & Berdnikova, E.N. (2018). Modern approaches to the study of emotional burnout of mothers. Human psychology as a subject of cognition, communication and activity, 415-422.
16. Lebert-Charron, A., Dorard, G., Boujur, E. & Wendland, J. (2018). Maternal burnout syndrome: contextual and psychological associated factors. Frontiers in Psychology, 9, 886. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2018.00885
17. Mikolajczak, M., Aunola, K., Sorkkila, M. & Roskam, I. (2023). 15 years of Parental Burnout Research: Systematic Review and Agenda. Current Directions in Psychological. doi:10.1177/09637214221142777
18. Mikolajczak, M., Gross J., & Roskam I. (2021). Beyond Job Burnout: Parental Burnout! Trend in Cognitive Sciences. doi:10.1016/j.tics.2021.01.012
19. Mikolajczak, M. & Roskam, I. A. (2021). Le burnout parental. Pharma-Sphere (Ed. française) (pp. 30-32).
20. Mikolajczak, M. & Roskam, I. A. (2020). Parental Burnout: Moving the Focus from Children to Parents. New Directions for Child and Adolescent Development. doi:10.1002/cad.20376
21. Roskam, I., & Mikolajczak, M. (2021). The slippery slope of parental exhaustion: A processmodel of parental burnout. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 77, 101354. doi:10.1016/j.appdev.2021.101354

First Peer Review

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The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

This article is about an important and relevant topic. Its relevance is due to the need to develop measures for psychological support for parents whose children suffer from various forms of autism. The fact is that the psychological characteristics of such families are presented quite fully in the literature, but in general this problem depends very much on the living conditions of the family and its intra-family values. However, in the text of the article, the author did not correctly choose the direction of substantiation of the research topic, pointing out as arguments the increase in the number of such disorders, suicidal tendencies among mothers, as well as the fact that the specifics of the condition of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder remains insufficiently studied today. It is unclear from what considerations such unfounded allegations are made, since the author does not provide any evidence in this regard. Therefore, the relevance of the study needs to be improved. There is no data on the research methodology in the text, and this is extremely important in relation to this article. This is due to the fact that the spectrum of autistic disorders is wide and it is unclear what the author investigated. The subject of the study is "parental burnout of women raising a child with autism spectrum disorders." This formulation of the subject does not mean anything in principle, since the factors and risks of parental burnout do not depend on autism spectrum disorders in general, but on their severity and depth. It is necessary to specify the subject of the study. The aim of the study is "to identify the factors of parental burnout in mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders." We can agree with this formulation. But it should be noted that the general level of literacy in the presentation of this text is very low, there are many different errors that immediately attract attention. The novelty of the study is defined by the author as "the identification of factors of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders." One can agree with this formulation, provided that it follows from the content of the work and conclusions. And this is not there. So if you pay attention to the style of presentation of the text, it seems that it is superficial. This can be seen from the depth of the study of the topic. For example, it is indicated that a statistical data processing apparatus was used (Mann-Whitney U-test, regression analysis), but the data itself is not shown in the text. The author simply writes that "Significant differences have been identified in terms of the presence or absence of personal time. Women who have their own personal time are more satisfied with their psychological state. They have the opportunity to move away from everyday moments, switch the focus of attention to themselves, which makes it possible to find a resource for normal functioning." And this style is all over the text. It seems that the author does not attach importance to evidence when presenting facts (factors in this case). I would like to see the facts obtained by the author in the form of quantitative indicators, which were obtained using the questionnaire "Parental burnout" by I.N. Efimova. As well as the results of calculations using the Mann-Whitney U-criterion for comparing 2 independent samples by the level of any quantitatively measured trait. The text doesn't say anything about any selections. And how did the author use regression analysis and is it possible to show its results in tables? The text notes that "the ratio of indicators of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders, dissatisfied with marital relations, with indicators of symptoms of parental burnout according to the I. N. Efimova questionnaire showed reliable indicators. A symptom of emotional exhaustion (Z=2.95; p=0.003), depersonalization (Z=2.97; p=0.003), reduction of parental achievements, depersonalization (Z=2.81; p=0.005)." When it comes to criteria for the reliability of differences, it is necessary to present for review the generalized quantitative indicators compared by groups. But the author did not specify any groups that were surveyed. It is noted that 54 mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders participated in the study on a voluntary basis. The age of the respondents is from 32 to 43 years, the average age is 38.6 years, 40 of them are married, 15 are divorced, 25 women have secondary vocational education, 29 women have higher education." What is it for? Why should the reader know about education, marriage, etc., if this is not the case in Tex? The structure of the article as a whole meets the logical requirements regarding the sequence of presentation of the material. The conclusions present information that is initially known and does not represent any novelty. In general, there is an impression about this article that the stated topic has not been disclosed by the author. But the critical style of the review will allow the author to refine the text, since this is quite possible. After finalizing the text, this article can be recommended for publication

Second Peer Review

Peer reviewers' evaluations remain confidential and are not disclosed to the public. Only external reviews, authorized for publication by the article's author(s), are made public. Typically, these final reviews are conducted after the manuscript's revision. Adhering to our double-blind review policy, the reviewer's identity is kept confidential.
The list of publisher reviewers can be found here.

The paper "Factors of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder" is submitted for review. The subject of the study. The work is aimed at determining the role of marital satisfaction in the development of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders. In general, the author coped with the tasks set; the selected subject was studied. The research methodology is based on the following provisions: - the theory of parental burnout in parents raising children with autism spectrum disorders (V. V. Boyko, L. A. Bazaleva, O.S. Nikolskaya); - the provision on general and specific patterns of development of children with various types of dysontogenesis (L.S. Vygotsky, V.V. Lebedinsky, V.I. Lubovsky). The relevance of the study is due to the need to develop effective psychological support measures for mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder. The scientific novelty of the study is to determine the role of marital satisfaction in the development of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorders. The author obtained the following results: 1. Emotional exhaustion is the most common symptom of parental burnout in mothers who are raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder. 2. Women who are married and satisfied with their marital relationship have less pronounced symptoms of parental burnout. Therefore, marital satisfaction acts as a resource to curb the development of symptoms of parental burnout for mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder. 3. The lack of free time of a mother raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder is a factor that contributes to the development of emotional exhaustion. 4. The number of children, job availability, and satisfaction with relationships with parents do not affect the development of symptoms of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder. Style, structure, content. The style of presentation corresponds to publications of this level. The language of the work is scientific. The structure of the work is clearly traced, despite the fact that the author has not highlighted the main semantic parts. In the introduction, the author identified the relevance of the problem raised. According to a study by the University of Wisconsin, parents raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder experience a level of stress that can be compared to that experienced by a soldier who is in a combat zone. This phenomenon is gradually becoming chronic. The author noted that, despite the need to provide psychological assistance to mothers who raise a child with autism spectrum disorder, there is practically no information in modern psychological science about the factors and symptoms of emotional disorder. Therefore, the correction of this syndrome is significantly difficult, as well as the development of effective psychological support measures for mothers. The next section is devoted to the consideration of the main approaches that are presented in domestic and foreign psychological science. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the works of L.A. Bazaleva, T.N. Volkova, M.V.I.N. Efimova, Ippolitov, N.O. Kerre, O.V. Kiseleva, N.N. Koroleva, U.A. Mamokhina, E.M. Mastyukova, L.L. Mikaelyan, O.S. Nikolskaya, L.V. Petranovskaya, O.N. Pervushina, M.M. Semago, V.V. Tkacheva, T.Y. Fadeeva, etc. The work carried out made it possible to identify the following provisions: the family situation of the development of special children and the psychological features of the climate in them, the peculiarities of the occurrence of emotional and parental burnout in mothers are considered. Special attention is paid to the analysis of the three-component structure of the phenomenon of parental burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, reduction of parental achievements). The next section is devoted to the description of the procedure and methodology of the study. The author highlights the purpose, subject, scientific novelty, research hypothesis, as well as methods and techniques. Of particular interest is the consideration of the results obtained. The study was aimed at studying the level of parental burnout and its components. The obtained results were analyzed by methods of mathematical and statistical data processing (single-factor analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U-test, Spearman correlation analysis using the statistical package "SPSS Statistics 23.0"). The description is presented in the form of tables, a detailed analysis with the identification of factors and patterns. Special attention is paid to identifying the characteristics of: - the level of development of symptoms of parental burnout, - symptoms of parental burnout in mothers with different numbers of children, - differences in symptoms of parental burnout in mothers with different marital status, - differences in symptoms of parental burnout in mothers with different marital status, - factors of parental burnout of mothers raising a child with autism spectrum disorder- differences in symptoms of parental burnout in women who are satisfied and dissatisfied with marital relations; - differences in symptoms of parental burnout in mothers who have and do not have personal time; According to the authors, the obtained relationships indicate the relationship of symptoms of parental burnout with each other, an increase in one symptom of parental burnout will contribute to an increase in other symptoms. The article ends with a detailed description of the research results and the formulation of conclusions. Bibliography. The bibliography of the article includes 21 domestic and foreign sources, a significant part of which have been published over the past three years. The list contains mainly articles and abstracts. The sources are designed, in general, correctly, but in some positions they are heterogeneous. Sources 16 and 17 require clarification. Appeal to opponents. Recommendations: to highlight the prospects and directions for further research. Conclusions. The problems of the article are of undoubted relevance, theoretical and practical value; it will be of interest to specialists who deal with the problems of psychological support for families in which a child with autism spectrum disorder is being raised. The article can be recommended for publication taking into account the highlighted recommendations.