親子關係與母親安適感之關聯性研究：以臺灣青少年及成年自閉症個案之母親為例

Mother-Child Relationship Quality and its Association withMaternal Well-Being: A Study of Adolescents and Adults with Autism in Taiwan

自閉症個案的社交互動行為一直以來為國內外許多學者的研究重點，其對親子關係發展的影響也一併受到重視。相關的研究在國外行之有年，許多文獻均證實正向的情感表達有助於親子關係的建立，而良善的親子關係同時也對照顧者的情緒及心理/生理安適感產生正面的影響。有感於國內自閉症親子關係研究多數著重於孩童個案的現況，本研究將研究範疇擴大至青少年以上的自閉症個案及其照顧者。研究參與者為60位台灣地區10至31歲青少年和成年自閉症個案的母親，以自填式問卷的方式了解母親與個案的互動情感模式，及可能影響到親子關係和母親安適感的個人特質等因子。研究結果顯示，青少年和成年自閉症個案對母親的信任感及母親對他們的喜愛在親子的互動情感模式中扮演著極為重要的角色，個案的年齡和日常生活功能獨立程度與親子關係品質呈現顯著相關。另外照顧者的情緒狀態，對孩子的擔心、憂鬱程度及照顧負擔等心理安適感，也都與親子關係品質有顯著的關聯。本研究結果有助於瞭解影響親子關係的潛在因子，並支持親子關係品質和母親安適感間的關聯性，未來可再深入了解其他相關之核心因子，以期能更全面的了解自閉症個案與照顧者的親子關係。

Individuals with autism typically have impairments in social interaction; thus, their social relationships in adolescent and adulthood with parents may be impacted. In past years, many Western researchers have reported that expression of positive affects mother-child relationships and also relateds to caregivers' physical and psychosocial well-being. However, less research has focused on experiences of Taiwanese mother' s caring for an adolescent or adult with autism. A sample of 60 adolescents and adults (mean age = 16.8 years, age ranged from 10 to 31 years) with autistic disorder and their mothers in Taiwan were recruited for this study. To investigate the mother-child relationship and its underlying causes, the par¬ticipants' co-residing mothers were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire about mother and child interactions and the factors related to mother and child relationships. The results showed that children' s feeling of trust toward their mothers and mothers' affection for children played an important role in mother-child relationships. The quality of mother-child relationships was also significantly correlated with age and functional independence of individuals with autism. Additionally, results demonstrated that mothers' emotional status, worry about their child, levels of depression, and burden from being a care¬giver were negatively associated with the quality of mother-child relationships. The findings indicated factors that may influence mother-child relationships, and also highlighted the association between the quality of parent-child relationship and mother' s well-being. Practitioners can use this study' s findings to implement optimal interventions for families of individuals with autistic disorder. The results from this study provide information to support the design of adequate interventions that meet the needs of adolescents and adults with autism and their caregivers in Taiwan.