Coping and Well-Being in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)

Abstract

This study examined psychological well-being and coping in parents of children with ASD and parents of typically developing children. 73 parents of children with ASD and 63 parents of typically developing children completed a survey. Parents of children with ASD reported significantly more parenting stress symptoms (i.e., negative parental self-views, lower satisfaction with parent-child bond, and experiences of difficult child behaviors), more depression symptoms, and more frequent use of Active Avoidance coping, than parents of typically developing children. Parents of children with ASD did not differ significantly in psychological well-being and coping when compared as according to child's diagnosis. Study results reinforced the importance of addressing well-being and coping needs of parents of children with ASD.

Wellbeing of mothers of children with “A-U-T-I-S-M” in Malaysia: An interpretative phenomenological analysis study

“…Nikmat, Ahmad, Oon, and Razali (2008) found that 53.8% of Malaysian parents of children with autism showed a clinical disturbance in psychological wellbeing, conceptualised as clinically elevated scores on the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), and 90.4% of parents demonstrated significant parenting stress on the Parenting Stress Index -Short Form (PSI-SF). Comparatively, similar parenting stress mean scores were found in a recent quantitative study in Singapore (Lai, Goh, Oei, & Sung, 2015). Lai et al (2015) utilised the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) to measure the psychological wellbeing of parents, finding higher scores in parents of children with ASD than in parents of typically developing children.…”

“…Comparatively, similar parenting stress mean scores were found in a recent quantitative study in Singapore (Lai, Goh, Oei, & Sung, 2015). Lai et al (2015) utilised the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) to measure the psychological wellbeing of parents, finding higher scores in parents of children with ASD than in parents of typically developing children. Lai et al (2015) highlighted the paucity of research in parental wellbeing among Asian parents of children with ASD living in Asian countries.…”

“…Lai et al (2015) utilised the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) to measure the psychological wellbeing of parents, finding higher scores in parents of children with ASD than in parents of typically developing children. Lai et al (2015) highlighted the paucity of research in parental wellbeing among Asian parents of children with ASD living in Asian countries. The results of their quantitative study emphasised the relevance of exploring culture-specific coping behaviours.…”

“…The results of their quantitative study emphasised the relevance of exploring culture-specific coping behaviours. Additionally, the use of qualitative methods to allow for more in-depth exploration of caregiving experiences has been strongly recommended (e.g., Lai et al, 2015;Lai & Oei, 2014).…”

Brazilian study of adaptation and psychometric properties of the Coping Health Inventory for Parents

“…In this regard, the literature identifies as protective factors the quality of coping strategies employed and familial relationships and the social support received (Hebert and Koulouglioti 2010;Lai et al 2015;Lai and Oei 2014;Zablotsky et al 2013).…”