Inclusion (mineral)

Internal medicine

Autism

PsycINFO

Psychotherapist

Clinical psychology

Moderation

Meta-analysis

Mental health

Psychiatry

Association (psychology)

Developmental psychology

Distress

Political science

Psychology

Autism spectrum disorder

MEDLINE

Anxiety

Emotional distress

Medicine

Social psychology

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

This review (Prospero Registration Number: CRD42017057915) aimed to systematically identify and summarize existing research on the relationship between additional emotional and behavioral problems (EBP) in children with autism, and parenting stress (PS) and mental health problems (MHP) in their parents. Sixty-seven studies met criteria for inclusion in the review, 61 of which were included in the meta-analysis. Pooled correlation coefficients were in the low to moderate range ( $$\bar {r}= - .21\;{\text{to}}\;.43$$ ). Some evidence for moderation by measurement characteristics was found. Narrative review of concurrent adjusted associations showed some evidence for shared relationships with other factors, most notably ASD severity and parent perception of own parenting. Longitudinal studies showed mixed evidence for bidirectional predictive relationships between child EBP and parent psychological distress variables.

The Association Between Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Psychological Distress in Their Parents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis