Stress in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploration of Demands and Resources

We applied the ABCX model of stress and coping to assess the association between child and family demands, school-based resources (i.e., parent–teacher alliance and COMPASS, a consultation intervention), and two measures of parent stress: perceptions of the demands of raising a child (Child domain) and reactions to those demands (Parent domain). Data were analyzed from seventy-nine parents of children ages 3–9 with ASD participating in two randomized controlled trials of COMPASS. Stronger parent–teacher alliance correlated with decreased Parent domain stress and participation in COMPASS correlated with decreased Child domain stress after controlling for baseline stress. The study indicates that school-based resources can help reduce parent stress.