Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39538042›Full record

ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2026

Parental Representations and Emotional Availability: The Case of Children with Autism and Severe Behavior Problems.

Efrat Sher-Censor, Moria Harel, David Oppenheim, Adi Aran

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Systematic review of measures and interventions for caregiver adjustment to child autism diagnosis.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. The Reaction to Diagnosis Questionnaire-Sibling Version: A Preliminary Study on the Psychometric Properties.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Efrat Sher-CensorSchool of Psychological Sciences and the Center for the Study of Child Development, Rabin Building, The University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel. esher@psy.haifa.ac.il.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2961-3129
Moria HarelSchool of Psychological Sciences and the Center for the Study of Child Development, Rabin Building, The University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.
David OppenheimSchool of Psychological Sciences and the Center for the Study of Child Development, Rabin Building, The University of Haifa, 199 Aba Khoushy Ave., Mount Carmel, 3498838, Haifa, Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7019-2106
Adi AranNeuropediatric Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, 9103102, Jerusalem, Israel.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9460-4689

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Studies suggest that parents' emotional availability (EA) is associated with children's wellbeing, including in the case of children with autism. Our study extended prior research by examining the role of parents' representations in fostering parental EA and by focusing on fathers and on children with autism and severe behavior problems. We expected that parents' positive representations would be associated with higher EA and compared mothers' and fathers' representations and EA. Participants were 79 mothers and 69 fathers (child age range = 61-173 months, 21.95% girls). Representation assessments included the Reaction to Diagnosis Questionnaire, tapping resolution with respect to the child's diagnosis, and the coherence and positive comments in parents' Five Minute Speech Samples about the child. Parents' EA was coded from parent-child play interactions. Controlling for children's autism symptoms and adaptive functioning, mothers' resolution with respect to the child's diagnosis and positive comments (but not coherence) were associated with their EA, and fathers' coherence (but not positive comments and resolution) was associated with their EA. Mothers expressed more positive comments than fathers, and the resolution and EA scores of mothers and fathers were significantly correlated. Our results highlight the importance of considering both parents' representations and EA when studying and working with families of children with autism and severe behavior problems.

Indexed as

Autistic DisorderChild Behavior DisordersEmotionsParent-Child RelationsParentingParentsProblem BehaviorAdultChildChild, PreschoolFathersFemaleHumansMaleMothersSurveys and QuestionnairesAutismBehavior problemsEmotional availabilityFathersFive minute speech sampleMothersResolution with the child’s diagnosis

Identifiers

PMID39538042
PMCPMC12987863

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.