Abstract

The current study sought to identify autistic traits that may elicit parental differential treatment (PDT). Understanding these links are important because numerous studies have shown PDT to have negative implications for healthy development. Participants (recruited via Amazon Mechanical Turk) completed a survey assessing their experiences of parental differential treatment and their own autistic traits using the Autism Quotient (AQ) measure (Baron-Cohen et al., 2001). Participants were young adults ages 18-29 (M age = 25.4; 57% Female, 43% Male; 73% White, n = 739) who resided in the U.S. and had at least one living sibling. Using regression analysis, we examined PDT across six domains (conflict, time, affection, perceived favoritism, communication, and financial support) for both mothers and fathers. Independent variables included autistic traits, as measured by the AQ, and demographic controls. Young adults' gender was included as a moderator of the relationship between AQ and PDT. Results indicated no significant associations between PDT and autistic traits. The interaction between autistic traits and gender was also not significant. Discussion will focus on exploring why this study did not yield significant results and directions for future research.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Family, Home, and Social Sciences; Family Life

Rights

https://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2025-04-23

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd13670

Keywords

parental differential treatment, parental favoritism, autism spectrum disorder, sibling relationships

Language

english

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