Stress, coping, and psychological well-being| The development of a resource manual for parents of autistic children

Abstract

<p>Research studies indicate that parents of autistic children experience significantly higher levels of stress in comparison to all other parent group populations. The literature also suggests that prolonged exposure to stress in parents of autistic children contributes to comorbid conditions of depression, anxiety and worry, health problems, marital discord, and related family issues. The purpose of this study was to develop a resource manual for parents of autistic children to (a) help parents identify and target child-related, family, and environmental stressors associated with parenting an autistic child, (b) improve parents' ability to utilize cognitive, emotional, and behavioral-related coping strategies to better manage stress, and (c) increase parents' access to social support systems and community resources. In consideration of the development of the manual, the objectives of the study included (a) an extensive review of the literature to identify stress and coping factors as it pertains to parents of autistic children, (b) the recruitment of a small parent population to further highlight stress and coping behaviors, (c) the development of the resource manual, and (d) a critique of the manual by an expert panel of clinicians to evaluate the accuracy and relevance towards its intended population. </p>