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

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

“…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.…”

“…Other variables that were also determined in relation to parenting stress included parental satisfaction (Moh and Magiati, 2012 ), resilience (Santoso et al, 2015 ), quality of life (Sian and Tan, 2012 ; Wisessathorn et al, 2013 ; Siah and Tan, 2015 , 2016 ), family functioning (Tait and Mundia, 2012 ; Xue et al, 2014 ), and hopelessness (Vetrayan et al, 2013 ). Although these variables were not identical to the concept of parenting stress, they were included in the current review to provide a holistic understanding of the stress experienced by parents of children with ASD.…”

“…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.…”

“…Besides the aforementioned factors, parents' perception and/or understanding of having a child diagnosed with ASD was also found to play an important role in regards to the parenting stress experienced. More specifically, positive beliefs/optimism (Foronda, 2000 ; Callos, 2012 ; Wisessathorn et al, 2013 ; Chong and Kua, 2016 ), emotional acceptance and understanding (Liwag, 1989 ; Wahyuni, 2013 ; Xue et al, 2014 ; Chong and Kua, 2016 ; Ilias et al, 2016 ), sense of coherence (Siah and Tan, 2015 , 2016 ), cognitive reframing (Siah and Tan, 2016 ), and adaptability (Wahyuni, 2013 ; Ilias et al, 2016 ) toward having a child with ASD served as coping strategies for parents of children with ASD.…”

“…No other conflicts of interest were specifically reported, although it is possible they may have been present in some studies. Other than that, the sampling could have also led to a biased sample of more parents from middle to higher socioeconomic backgrounds who have access to intervention services (e.g., Liwag, 1989 ; Sian and Tan, 2012 ; Ha et al, 2014 ; Xue et al, 2014 ; Santoso et al, 2015 ; Siah and Tan, 2016 ). Additionally, studies included in the review were cross-sectional and therefore inferred an association rather than a causal relationship.…”