A Contemporary Family Systems Examination of Mental Health and Well-Being in Neurodivergent Children and Adolescents
摘要
In this chapter, we provide a framework for understanding the family system and family resilience in the context of neurodivergence, including the way in which families navigate broader environments such as formal and informal systems of care. We review research that shows that neurodivergent (ND) youth are more susceptible than neurotypical youth to mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and externalizing behaviors. We describe how the presence of ND children and adolescents within the family system is associated with high levels of parenting stress and parent mental health problems that often affect how the family communicates and organizes itself and the family’s ability to draw upon external systems for support. We summarize research showing that these difficulties are risk factors for negative parenting and conflictual parent–child and sibling relationships. We also examine how some families of ND youth have resilience promoting (i.e., positive beliefs, strong communication skills, adaptability) and hindering factors (e.g., experiences of stigma, family composition, screen use, low socioeconomic status (SES), adversity, and immigration status) that must be considered when intervening at the family level. Given the marked ways in which ND and the family system influence one another, we conclude that effective assessment and intervention should consider the family context in order to foster the resilience of ND children, adolescents, and families.