CHILD CHARACTERISTICS, COPING AND STRESS IN PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to study the relationship between child characteristics, coping and stress in parent of children with autism. One of the objectives was to study the impact of child characteristics on paternal and maternal stress. The factors included in child characteristics were autism symptom severity, adaptive behaviors, and problem behaviors. The study also investigated the mediating role of family coping (reframing, passive appraisal and mobilizing family to acquire and accept help) between child characteristics and paternal, maternal stress. Moreover, the relationship of different family socio-demographic variables (age, gender of the child; age, education, and work status of mothers; socio economic status and type of family system) was also examined with reference to paternal and maternal stress. The measures used to assess characteristic of children with autism were Childhood Autism Rating Scale-2 (CARS-2), Adaptive Behavior scale-School Edition (ABS: 2S, Part-1) and Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). The measure used to assess parental stress and coping were Questionnaire on resources and stress (QRS-F) and The Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (FCOPES). Two independent studies i.e. study I and study II were carried out to meet the objectives of the study. The objective of study I was to translate and validate the instruments of the study. Furthermore, study I, consisted of three phases, phase I was related to Urdu translation of Adaptive Behavior scale-School Edition (ABS: 2S, Part-1), Questionnaire on resources and stress (QRS-F), The Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale (F-COPES) and few modification were done in already existing Urdu version of Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). In Phase II content validity index (CVI) of translated instruments was established and in phase III other psychometric properties were addressed. Findings of study I, found that the content validity index for the translated instruments was well above the critical value of .80. Similarly, the instruments also showed satisfactory psychometric properties for the current sample. This indicated that the instruments were valid and reliable measures to be used with the present population. The Study II (main study) consisted of hypothesis testing. A purposive sample of 103 mothers and 83 fathers (having at least one child with autism within age range of 3 to 14 years) participated in the x

study. Results of the main study revealed that all three child characteristics autism symptom severity, adaptive behaviors and problem behaviors were the significant predictors of maternal stress. However, problem behaviors were impacting more on maternal stress, followed by autism symptom severity and adaptive behaviors. Whereas, autism symptoms severity was the only significant predictor for paternal stress. Further analysis into child characteristics revealed that core symptomology of autism was the significant predictor of maternal stress. In case of adaptive behaviors, poor personal self sufficiency of children with autism accounted for significant proportion of variance in both maternal and paternal stress but the impact was more for maternal stress. Similarly, sub facets of problem behaviors that were emotional symptom and conduct problems accounted for significant proportion of variance only in maternal stress. Moreover, present study also revealed that family coping (reframing, passive appraisal and mobilizing family to acquire and accept help) partially mediates the relationship between child characteristics (autism symptom severity, adaptive behaviors, problematic behaviors) and maternal stress. Whereas, in case of paternal stress no significant mediation effect was found. In addition, it was found that stress for employed mothers and those living in nuclear families was greater as compared to those who were not employed and living in joint families. With increase in mother’s age and monthly income stress in mothers decreased. Moreover, with increase in the monthly income of the family, stress in mothers of children with autism decreases.. Implications of the present study are discussed under need for interventions for families with autistic children in Pakistan and need for awareness in general masses regarding autistic disorder. Limitations have been