Families with Children Who Have Autism Spectrum Disorders: Stress and Support

Abstract

Many individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have behavior repertoires that might be expected to have an impact on members of both the immediate and extended family. This article examines this impact, reviewing relevant literature related to stressors and supports for families of individuals with ASD. The focus of the article highlights research on stressors and supports in the following areas (a) stress in the marital subsystem, (b) stress in the parental subsystem, (c) stress in the sibling subsystem, (d) coping strategies used by families, and (e) informal and formal sources of support used by families. Implications and recommendations for future research and practice are discussed.

The Family and Disability in Ghana: Highlighting Gaps in Achieving Social Inclusion

“…The role of the family in the development of individuals facilitates effective integration in society (Meadan et al, 2010). Therefore, the inability of the families to fulfil this responsibility meant that individuals were left to their fate.…”

“…The starting point for the development of personality is the family, which performs instrumental service of raising children to become responsible adults (Meadan et al, 2010). The quality of support and upbringing that children acquire from the family, determines the quality of life they may live (Dixon et al, 2000).…”

“…In the absence of a formal social system, the family probably bears the duty of navigating persons with disabilities past the pre-existing barriers in societies. Although caring for children with disabilities has been found to be a source of stress to families (Mulroy et al, 2008;Meadan et al, 2010;Latta et al, 2014;Badu, 2016), their continued support could have a lasting impact on their lives. The social model, unlike the medical model, focusses not on the functional limitations of the individual but looks broadly in the society for factors responsible for the exclusion of persons with disabilities (Shakespeare & Watson, 2001;Barnes, 2012).…”

Effect of Problem Solving Based Group Counseling on Marital Satisfaction of Mothers with Intellectually Disabled Children: Gorgan, Iran (2016)

“…One of the most comprehensive definitions of the marital satisfaction is the one proposed by Hopkins: "Objective feelings, satisfaction, and pleasure experienced by partners (husband and wife) in all aspects of their marriage" (Meadan, James, & Aaron, 2010). Marital satisfaction is the result of various factors such as emotional intelligence, conflict resolving approaches, sexual satisfaction, and health level of the individual and children (Meadan, James, & Aaron, 2010;Nisell, et.…”

Relationships between Sense of Coherence, Coping Strategies and Quality of Life of Parents of Children with Autism in Malaysia: A Case Study among Chinese Parents

“…ASD is the fastest growing disorder in Malaysia. It is estimated that there are approximately 12,800 cases of autism, and 1 out of every 600 children in Malaysia is affected by ASD (Malaysian Psychiatric Association, 2010;Meadan et al, 2010;Sin Chew Daily, 2012). Since taking care of a child with ASD is a lifelong endeavour (Seltzer et al, 2004;Meirsschaut et al, 2010 ), parents of children with autism, especially the mothers, have been found to have higher prevalence of stress, psychological disturbances and depression (Azlina Wati Nikmat et al, 2008;Athari et al, 2013).…”