Meaning of Life and the Performance of the Parental Role in Parents of Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Parenthood is one of the most important roles people have in their lives. This role is unique when parents’ child is disabled, ill or suffers from developmental disorders. The empirical study presented in this article refers to the description of parenthood in the case of parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders. The author attempted to determine how mothers and fathers performed their parental roles as well as their meaning of life level and relationships between these variables. The study covered 80 parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders. The following research tools were used: the Parental Role Performance Questionnaire by Żaneta Stelter and the Purpose in Life test (PIL) by J.C Crumbach and L.T. Maholik. Analyses showed significant connections between the variables measured.