Raising and caring for a child with ASD is a challenge for the parents’ marriage relationship. Caring for a disabled child changes the functioning of the family and requires greater involvement in care and specialist therapy. The respondents’ answers show that such parents experience higher levels of stress related to the upbringing and future of the child. However, parenting challenges need not be a negative experience if the parents support each other. The process of bringing up children in the family are related, inter alia, to the quality of their parents ‘marriage, which is influenced by the partners’ personal resources. The resilience of the partners and coping with this situation contribute to marital satisfaction. The aim of the study is to find out about the relationship between spouses’ resilience and coping styles and their assessment of marriage satisfaction. In total, 50 married couples participated in the study—50 mothers of children with ASD and 50 fathers, the partners of these mothers (N = 100). The following tools were used: the Resilience Scale (SPP-25), the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and the Well-Matched Marriage Questionnaire (KDM-2), as well as a survey questionnaire (data on respondents). The results show that the gender of the parent of a child with ASD does not differentiate the overall assessment of the quality of marriage (the overall score on the scale indicates a low level of satisfaction with the relationship). When analyzing in detail the dimensions of individual scales of satisfaction with the relationship, one statistically significant difference was noted for the sex of the respondents in the disappointment dimension, showing that the level of disappointment in the quality of the relationship is higher in wives than in husbands. In the other dimensions of satisfaction with marriage: intimacy, personal fulfillment, similarity, there were no statistically significant differences in terms of gender of the respondents. The resilience of the spouses positively correlates with their assessment of marriage satisfaction, and in particular, openness, perseverance and determination to act increase the level of Task-oriented coping (SSZ) with difficult situations. All resilience factors negatively correlate with the emotional coping style (SSE). In both the studied groups, openness is a significant predictor of intimacy, and persistence is a predictor of self-fulfilment in a relationship. A predictor of disappointment in women is managing using substitute activities (ACZ), while in men it is the Emotion-oriented coping (SSE) style. The results indicate the need to support married couples raising a child with ASD during the pandemic.

No abstract

The article presents the correlation between marital communication and the coping styles of parents of a child with ASD during the SARS CoV-2 pandemic. The study involved 46 married mothers and 34 married fathers raising children with autism spectrum disorders. The following tools were used: The Marital Communication Questionnaire (KKM) by M. Plopa and M. Kazmierczak and the Polish version of the CISS Coping Questionnaire by Endler and Park.                The results of the research showed that respondents more often prefer constructive coping with stress using the task focused style (SSZ) if a spouse assesses both themselves and their spouse as more supportive and engaged in communication and less depreciation. The respondents more often prefer non-constructive coping with stress using and the emotion-focused style (SSE) or the avoidance-focused style (SSU), if the spouse assesses both themselves and their spouse as depressed. The greater the difference between their own assessment and the assessment of their spouse in supportive communication, the more often the respondents prefer the style focused on emotions (SSE) and the style focused on avoidance (SSU). Moreover, the greater the difference between self-assessment and that of the spouse in depreciation communication, the less often the task-focused style (SSZ) was preferred. The results are statistically significant.

The aim of the study was to compare children with ASD from families with low and medium financial status in terms of quality of life and coping with stress during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and the material status of the family related to their financial situation during the pandemic. The diagnostic survey method was used in the research study. A total of 120 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 11–14 years participated in the study. The following tools were used to achieve the goal: Quality of Life of Students by S. Kowalik, “Jak Sobie Radzisz” by Z. Juczyński and N. Ogińska-Bulik and a proprietary questionnaire by the author. The research results indicate that during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, children with ASD from families with an average financial status are more satisfied with functioning in the family and more satisfied with themselves than children from families with a low financial status. Moreover, children with ASD from low-status families prefer strategies of focusing on emotions, which are not constructive and make functioning difficult, more often than their peers from families with average financial status. The results of the research show a positive correlation between the quality of life in the dimensions of satisfaction with the family, one’s local environment and oneself and active coping (disposition) and seeking social support; and a negative correlation with the strategy of focusing on emotions (disposition). It is advised that families with children with ASD be supported during the pandemic.

Purpose The purpose of this study is to identify consumer buying behavior, sense of security on the market and basic economic knowledge among young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) – Asperger Syndrome, while the empirical goal is the development of conclusions and implications, which may be used in consumer strategies. Design/methodology/approach The research consisted of a pilot study and used the diagnostic survey method. A survey questionnaire of the own devising was used. The study used a purposive (arbitrary) sample. This was a non-probability respondent sample, consisting of subjective selection by researchers among a selected closed representative sample, the aim of which was to test the research tool (survey questionnaire) during the pilot study. The survey questionnaire was constructed on the basis of theoretical assumptions explaining consumer buying behavior and on a literature review regarding research conducted in this area. The study was conducted on adolescents aged between 16 and 19 years of age, 40 of whom suffered from ASD – Asperger syndrome and 50 of whom were without ASD – Asperger syndrome (control group). Findings The results indicate a limited range of consumer behaviors, a relatively poor sense of security in consumer (retail) spending and a limited understanding of fundamental consumer issues among young consumers with ASD – Asperger syndrome in comparison to people from the control group. Practical implications This study suggests that marketers should prepare diverse means of communication with consumers and a variety of sales strategies targeted at consumers with communication disorders. The research may be extended to include the large number of factors that influence consumer behavior among people with ASD – Asperger syndrome, together with the determination of the predictors. The factors contribute to a varying extent to constant changes in consumer behavior, which makes it necessary for longitudinal or even cyclical studies to be carried out. In further research, the research tool should be improved in terms of more precise questions relevant to a given issue and random sampling should be implemented. Social implications The research concept can be transferred to other vulnerable groups with communication disorders (e.g. with hearing disorders). Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study is the first to investigate selected aspects of consumer (and financial consumer) behavior among young people with ASD – Asperger syndrome.