Sense of coherence, parenting attitudes and stress among mothers of children with autism in Hong Kong

Background: The moderating and mediating relationships among sense of coherence, parental attitudes and parenting stress for caregiving parents of children with autism were tested. Materials and Methods: One hundred and fifty-seven mothers of children with autism recruited from representative community service centres in Hong Kong completed the Chinese versions of Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC), Confidence and Acceptance subscales of Parent-Attitude Survey Scales and Parenting Stress Index Short Form. Results: Accounting for mothers' demographic background, SOC showed a moderating effect with child's symptoms and parenting stress. Mothers with a strong SOC perceived lower stress than their counterparts even when their children presented with more severe autistic symptoms. Two proximal factors in parenting, parental confidence and acceptance of the child, were found to partially mediate SOC and stress. Conclusions: The stress experience of mothers of children with autism is related strongly to a global sense of coherence as well as more specific parenting attitudes.