Parents’ perceptions of autism and their health-seeking behaviors

Abstract

c l i n i c a l e p i d e m i o l o g y a n d g l o b a l h e a l t h 3 (2 0 1 5

Parenting Stress and Resilience in Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Southeast Asia: A Systematic Review

“…For example, in the case study (Rahman et al, 2012 ), the father, who was diagnosed with depression and was reported to engage in substance abuse (i.e., alcoholism), perceived the autism diagnoses in his children as a result of him being “cursed” for his previous bad behavior. This is in contrast to the findings of a research study by Quilendrino et al ( 2015 ), which found parents to disagree with cultural myths and beliefs about ASD (e.g., not a result of a curse and/or parental sin). Similarly, a study found that mothers were commonly exposed to culturally transmitted fears and concerns that they may have done something wrong in the past to cause the disorder (e.g., karma or spirit possession).…”

“…Parents who are persuaded by such beliefs may adopt an external locus of control, such that they feel helpless and adopt maladaptive methods (e.g., substance abuse) to cope with the stress experienced as found in the study by Rahman et al ( 2012 ). However, as observed through the current systematic review, a greater number of studies (Liwag, 1989 ; Foronda, 2000 ; Wahyuni, 2013 ; Xue et al, 2014 ; Quilendrino et al, 2015 ; Siah and Tan, 2015 , 2016 ; Chong and Kua, 2016 ; Ilias et al, 2016 ) found parents to adopt a positive perception and understanding toward ASD (e.g., adaptability, emotional acceptance, positive belief, sense of coherence) and hence, effectively cope with the obstacles of raising a child with ASD. It is therefore plausible, that the South-East Asian society is beginning to move away from cultural beliefs of parental sins, karma and/or curses in the etiological understanding of the ASD diagnosis.…”

“…Remarkably, more than half of the total reviewed studies were found to also investigate coping strategies/mechanism among parents of children with ASD (Liwag, 1989 ; Foronda, 2000 ; Ting and Chuah, 2010 ; Callos, 2012 ; Sian and Tan, 2012 ; Resurreccion, 2013 ; Wahyuni, 2013 ; Wisessathorn et al, 2013 ; Foo et al, 2014 ; Xue et al, 2014 ; Lai et al, 2015 ; Quilendrino et al, 2015 ; Roffeei et al, 2015 ; Santoso et al, 2015 ; Siah and Tan, 2015 , 2016 ; Chong and Kua, 2016 ; Ilias et al, 2016 ). This focus area suggests that even within the SEA region, there is awareness for the need to inclusively discuss coping strategies for parents of children with ASD as opposed to merely focusing on intervention strategies for the child diagnosed with ASD.…”

“…Financial difficulty . Financial difficulty was a factor that was frequently reported to influence the level of stress experienced among parents of children with ASD (Liwag, 1989 ; Foronda, 2000 ; Rahman et al, 2012 ; Tait and Mundia, 2012 ; Yeo and Lu, 2012 ; Athari et al, 2013 ; Vetrayan et al, 2013 ; Wahyuni, 2013 ; Ha et al, 2014 ; Quilendrino et al, 2015 ). Financial income (the inverse of financial difficulty) was found to negatively correlate with levels of parenting stress and depression (Athari et al, 2013 ) as well as levels of hopelessness (Vetrayan et al, 2013 ) among parents of children with ASD.…”

“…Several studies (via qualitative interviews or an open-ended sentence completion task), found parents' anxiety in regards to the future of their child (who is diagnosed with ASD) to be one of their sources of stress (Liwag, 1989 ; Foronda, 2000 ; Tait and Mundia, 2012 ; Ha et al, 2014 ; Quilendrino et al, 2015 ; Ilias et al, 2016 ). The parents' anxieties included the child's schooling and future secondary and/or higher education (Tait and Mundia, 2012 ; Ilias et al, 2016 ), job and career prospects (Ilias et al, 2016 ), and worries over finding care for their children in their older age (Quilendrino et al, 2015 ). Conversely, thoughts of their child's future motivated mothers to be resilient when they were optimistic about their child's future (Santoso et al, 2015 ).…”