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Item The impact of personality traits on outcomes of caregivers of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the transition period(2017) Yu, Yue; McGrew, John H.The study examined the impact of the “big 5” personality traits on caregiver burden during the period when individuals with ASD transition from high school. Participants (N = 117) were caregivers of individuals with ASD who either will graduate within two years or graduated from high school within the past two years. Participants completed questionnaires measuring study variables predicted to be associated with caregiver burden as guided by the Double ABCX model of family adaptation, i.e., autism symptom severity, problem behaviors, pile-up of life demands, personality traits, social support, cognitive appraisals, and coping strategies. Primary caregivers reported moderate burden in the transition period. Specifically, although caregivers experienced stress in the transition period, they were less overwhelmed than the period when one’s child first receive the ASD diagnosis. Increased problem behaviors, higher neuroticism, lower extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness, lower levels of social support, fewer use of challenge appraisals, and greater use of threat appraisals and passive-avoidance coping strategies predicted greater caregiver burden. Passive-avoidance coping mediated the relationship between caregiving stress and four personality traits respectively (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness, and agreeableness). The results support the potential importance of personality traits in explaining differences in caregiver stress in families of those with ASD and further indicated that the association between personality and burden was mediated by caregivers’ use of maladaptive coping strategies, i.e., passive-avoidance coping. The findings also have potential applicability for interventions to reduce caregiver burden. Several factors were identified that could help alleviate the stress. For example, parents should be encouraged to avoid using threat appraisals and passive-avoidance coping strategies. In addition, interventions could be developed to provide support or strategies to parents to handle child’s behavioral problems and thus reduce stress.Item Neurodevelopmental disorders and microcephaly: how apoptosis, the cell cycle, tau and amyloid-β precursor protein APPly(Frontiers Media, 2023-09-22) Sokol, Deborah K.; Lahiri, Debomoy K.; Neurology, School of MedicineRecent studies promote new interest in the intersectionality between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Alzheimer’s Disease. We have reported high levels of Amyloid-β Precursor Protein (APP) and secreted APP-alpha (sAPP a ) and low levels of amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptides 1–40 and 1–42 (Aβ40, Aβ42) in plasma and brain tissue from children with ASD. A higher incidence of microcephaly (head circumference less than the 3rd percentile) associates with ASD compared to head size in individuals with typical development. The role of Aβ peptides as contributors to acquired microcephaly in ASD is proposed. Aβ may lead to microcephaly via disruption of neurogenesis, elongation of the G1/S cell cycle, and arrested cell cycle promoting apoptosis. As the APP gene exists on Chromosome 21, excess Aβ peptides occur in Trisomy 21-T21 (Down’s Syndrome). Microcephaly and some forms of ASD associate with T21, and therefore potential mechanisms underlying these associations will be examined in this review. Aβ peptides’ role in other neurodevelopmental disorders that feature ASD and acquired microcephaly are reviewed, including dup 15q11.2-q13, Angelman and Rett syndrome.Item Using a model of family adaptation to examine outcomes of caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorder transitioning into adulthood(Elsevier, 2018-10) Yu, Yue; McGrew, John H.; Rand, Kevin L.; Mosher, Catherine E.; Psychology, School of ScienceBackground The study examined the burden of caring for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transitioning from high school and factors associated with burden derived from the Double ABCX model of family adaptation (i.e., autism symptom severity, problem behaviors, pile-up life demands, personality traits, social support, cognitive appraisals, and coping strategies). In particular, we were interested in the potential association between the “big 5” personality traits and burden. Method Participants (N = 105) were caregivers of individuals with ASD within two years pre- or post-graduation from high school. Results Primary caregivers reported moderate levels of burden. As hypothesized, burden was significantly associated with both child (i.e., increased autism symptom severity and problem behaviors) and caregiver characteristics (i.e., greater neuroticism, lower levels of extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness, and social support, and increased use of threat appraisals and passive-avoidance coping strategies). Using multiple regression, increased child behavior problems and increased caregiver use of passive-avoidance coping were identified as independent predictors of burden. Passive-avoidance coping mediated the relationship between caregiver burden and individual personality traits (i.e., neuroticism, extraversion, conscientiousness). Conclusions The results suggest that proximal variables, such as caregivers’ use of maladaptive coping strategies, explain the associations between burden and personality. Suggestions for interventions to relieve burden are discussed.