Coping in Parents and Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): a Review

Abstract

Parents and caregivers of children with ASD have reported significant stress and challenges in caregiving. However, stress coping research in parents and caregivers of children remains limited. This review attempted to close this gap. For this review, 37 studies investigating the (1) underlying themes, (2) contributing factors, and (3) psychological outcomes of ASD-related parental and caregiver coping, were selected from the literature. Results revealed that the two most useful coping resources, i.e., problem-focused coping (45.9 %) and social support (37.8 %), were supported by parental stress coping studies. Parents' and caregivers' use of coping strategies was also influenced by (1) demographical characteristics (i.e., gender, age, education, income, language) and psychological attributes (i.e., personality, cultural values, optimism, sense of coherence, benefit-finding and sense-making abilities, emotional health, coping styles), (2) child characteristics (i.e., age, gender, medical conditions, cognitive and adaptive functioning abilities, language difficulties, and behavior problems) and (2) situational variables (i.e., treatment availability, family function, and clinician referrals to support resources). Finally, methodological limitations in past studies were discussed. This review emphasized the importance of further examination on the coping mechanisms of parents/caregivers of children with ASD.

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

“…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).…”

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

“…Parents of children with ASD use a range of coping strategies and resources when faced with parenting/caregiving stress (Hall and Graff 2011;Hastings et al 2005;Lai and Oei 2014;Luong et al 2009). In a review paper, Lai and Oei (2014) highlighted that parents of children with ASD used both adaptive (e.g., cognitive reframing; seeking social support) and maladaptive (e.g., avoidance and disengagement) coping strategies, with an inclination towards adaptive coping methods such as seeking social support and positive reinterpretation.…”

Quality of Life, Coping Styles, Stress Levels, and Time Use in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Comparing Single Versus Coupled Households

“…These characteristics include age (Gray, 2006;Pruitt, Willis, Timmons, & Ekas, 2016), gender (Allik et al, 2006;Lee, 2009;McStay et al, 2014;Mugno et al, 2007), employment status (Dardas & Ahmad, 2014a), and household income (Dardas & Ahmad, 2014a). In fact, a recent review on coping styles among parents of children with ASD reported that age and gender of parents are the most commonly discussed factors (Lai & Oei, 2014). Spousal relationship factors, such as spousal support (Dunn, Burbine, Bowers, & Tantleff-Dunn, 2001), marital satisfaction (Higgins, Bailey, & Pearce, 2005), and marital quality (Harper, Dyches, Harper, Roper, & South, 2013), are other parental characteristics used to investigate the experiences of parents of children with ASD.…”