| The purpose of the current investigation was to explore the positive and negative impacts of raising a child with autism as well as the coping resources that may make a difference for mothers and fathers. First, the association between parents' ratings of their child's symptoms and behaviors and parents' well-being is examined. Parents' well-being is indicated by self-ratings of parental distress, child-related stress, negative impacts on the family, positive impacts on the family and positive changes in themselves. Next, parents' coping styles were examined in relation to these same outcome variables. Finally, multiple regression analyses were used to explore hypotheses surrounding the effects of various coping resources in predicting parent outcomes according to both self and spousal ratings. The coping resources of interest were empowerment beliefs, self-efficacy beliefs, advocacy involvement, formal and informal social supports, and emotion and task-oriented coping styles. In addition to examining the direct effects of these coping resources, social support, self-efficacy beliefs, and empowerment beliefs were also explored as possible moderators or mediators of the relationship between child difficulties and parent outcome variables. Participants consisted of 114 mothers and 76 fathers raising children between 2 and 12 years of age with autism or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Participants completed several questionnaires as well as a semi-structured interview. Results indicated both differences and similarities between how mothers and fathers were impacted by their experience raising a child with autism or PDD-NOS. Additionally, the coping resources that emerged as salient in predicting parental well-being after controlling for the child's symptoms and behaviors were different for mothers and fathers. The various coping resources examined were not found to moderate or mediate the relationship between parental perceptions of the frequency of their child's symptoms and behaviors and parents' well-being or the impact on the family. Instead, coping resources and the child's symptoms and behaviors were found to contribute to the prediction of parents' mental health and the impact on the family in an additive fashion. Strengths and limitations of the study, as well as clinical and research implications of the findings are discussed. |
