Factors Contributing to Stress in Parents of Individuals with Autistic Spectrum Disorders

The study explores the experiences of parents of individuals with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs), and examines the influences of parent gender and child age on perceived stress, stress and coping, child-rearing involvement, support and information/education accessed. Questionnaires assessed general perceived stress, involvement, stress and coping related to caregiving, social support, and amount of information/education accessed in 23 mothers and 19 fathers of 3- to 18-year-old individuals with ASDs. When compared with fathers, mothers were significantly more stressed, more involved, and reported higher levels of stress and coping related to caregiving. Differences were found according to child age, regarding helpfulness of support and access to information/education. Parent gender and child age moderated correlations between some variables. Content analyses identified factors contributing to parental stress and its alleviation. The positive relationships between the amount of information accessed and the quality of support received by parents, and between parental stress and involvement vary according to the life stage of the child. Mothers experienced a greater caregiving burden when compared with fathers.