Abstract:
Objective: This study was conducted to compare personality characteristics and attachment style in mothers of the autistic children and mothers of the normal children. Method: 28 mothers of the autistic children and 30 mothers of the normal children were selected، and assessed by Eysenck Personality Inventory and Attachment Style Inventory، and the researchers Personal History Inventory. The data were analyzed by chi-square test، MANOVA، ANOVA and Discriminant analysis. Results: The results showed a significant difference in Neuroticism versus Emotional stability. No significant differences were observed between two groups in Introversion versus Extroversion، and psychoticism versus tension control aspects. The results showed that mothers of autistic children could be set in the Neurotic group، while mothers of normal children were almost in Emotional stable group. For the attachment style the results show no difference between the two groups. Based on analysis of personal History Inventory، we found seven differentiate variables between autistic children and normal children. Conclusion: These findings stress that personality characteristics of the mothers of autistic children should be considered in mother and child psychotherapy.
Machine summary:
Findings: The results showed that mothers of children with autism and mothers of typically developing children did not differ in two dimensions of the Eysenck personality: Introversion/Extraversion and Neuroticism/Impulse Control; however, the two groups differed in the dimension of Neuroticism/Emotional Stability.
Based on the results obtained from the discriminant analysis performed on the data from the personal history questionnaire, the variables of duration of pregnancy, maternal psychological status during pregnancy, infant crying and breathing status after birth, age of starting breastfeeding, age of walking, age of head control, and age of bladder and bowel control were the discriminating variables between children with autism and typically developing children.
The results of Isabella's (1993) research showed that there is a significant relationship between the security of the child's attachment and the mother's style of compassion and kindness, including a gentle tone of voice, less command-giving, pleasant expressions, patience, immediate soothing, and general responsiveness to all types of child behavior, as well as social interactions that are mutually rewarding.
In the present research, too, the personality characteristics of mothers of children with autism have been compared based on Eysenck's personality theory and the attachment style of mothers of typically developing children.
Table 2- Multivariate analysis of variance and univariate analysis of variance to examine the difference between mothers of normal children and mothers of children with autism in personality dimensions (introversion, extraversion, neuroticism/emotional stability, psychoticism/impulse control).
Another result of the present research is that mothers of children with autism and mothers of normal children do not have a significant difference in terms of attachment style either.
(
, 
, 
)
