# Linking Parenting Styles and Practices to Anxiety and Physical Activity in Autistic Youth: A Mediation Model

## TL;DR

This study explores how different parenting styles affect anxiety and physical activity in autistic children, finding that parental encouragement of activity plays a key role.

## Contribution

The study identifies a mediation mechanism linking parenting styles to anxiety and physical activity in autistic youth.

## Key findings

- Authoritarian and permissive parenting are directly linked to higher anxiety in autistic children.
- Authoritative and permissive parenting are indirectly linked to lower anxiety through parental encouragement of physical activity.
- Parental encouragement of physical activity mediates the relationship between parenting styles and children's activity levels.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience high anxiety and low physical activity (PA). While the influence of parenting styles on these outcomes is well-documented in typically developing children, their role in autistic youth remains underexplored. The study examines how parenting style and parental encouragement of physical activity relate to anxiety and activity levels in ASD youth. Methods: The sample consisted of 76 parents of school-aged children diagnosed with ASD, including 54 parents of boys and 22 parents of girls (Aged 6–18; Mage = 10.75, SD = 3.67). The parents’ ages ranged from 23 to 65 years (M = 42.96, SD = 7.01). Results: Using a path model analysis, we found that authoritarian and permissive parenting were directly associated with elevated child anxiety. Authoritative and permissive parenting were inversely associated with child anxiety indirectly via parental encouragement of PA. Furthermore, authoritative and permissive parenting were inversely associated with the child’s PA score via encouragement of PA. Conclusions: The study establishes links between parenting styles and anxiety and physical activity in ASD children and adolescents, while identifying a specific mechanism that partially explains these associations.