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Daily Health Symptoms of Mothers of Adolescents and Adults with Fragile X Syndrome and Mothers of Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Abstract

Health symptoms of mothers of adolescents and adults with fragile X syndrome (FXS; n = 112) were compared to a nationally-representative sample of mothers of similarly-aged children without disabilities (n = 230) as well as to a sample of mothers of adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 96). Health symptoms experienced in the previous 24 h were recorded during 8 consecutive days of a daily diary study. Both mothers of a son or daughter with FXS and mothers of a son or daughter with ASD had a higher proportion of days with headaches, backaches, muscle soreness, fatigue, and hot flashes than mothers of children without disabilities. Mothers of children with disabilities appear to be at particular risk for health problems, highlighting a need for comprehensive services for families across the lifespan.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging to support longitudinal research on families of adolescents and adults with autism (R01 AG08768, M. Seltzer, PI) and to conduct a longitudinal follow-up of the MIDUS (Midlife in the US) investigation (P01 AG020166, C. Ryff, PI, and R01AG019239, D. Almeida, PI). The original MIDUS study was supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Successful Midlife Development. This study also was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development to the IDDRC at the University of North Carolina (P30 HD003100-S1) to support a Fragile X Research Center. The Fragile X Research Center has three additional sites (Research Triangle Institute International, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and University of Kansas). The present analysis was based on data collected at the UW-Madison Waisman Center site (M.M. Seltzer, PI). We also received support from the Waisman Center (P30 HD03352, M.M. Seltzer, PI). We would like to thank the National Fragile X Foundation for providing informational materials to share with families in the FXS study. We additionally thank Don Bailey for his thoughtful comments on an earlier draft of this paper. Finally, we are extremely grateful to the families who participated in this study; without their generous support and commitment, our research would not be possible.

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  1. Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Leann E. Smith, Marsha Mailick Seltzer & Jan S. Greenberg

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  1. Leann E. Smith
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  2. Marsha Mailick Seltzer
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Correspondence to Leann E. Smith.

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Smith, L.E., Seltzer, M.M. & Greenberg, J.S. Daily Health Symptoms of Mothers of Adolescents and Adults with Fragile X Syndrome and Mothers of Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 1836–1846 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1422-7

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