INTRODUCTION:

Coping mechanisms are adaptations and ways through which stress is managed or handled. According to psychologists, Folkman and Lazarus (1999) coping is defined as "constantly changing cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific external and/or internal demands that are appraised as taxing".

Carver, Schier and Weintraub (1989) identified four dimensions of coping of which, the first two dimensions resembled emotion-focussed and problem-focussed coping of Folkman & Lazarus (1988).

The third dimension was about seeking social support or expressing emotions and the fourth one was about attempting to avoid dealing with the problem or avoiding the emotions that arose from the problem Kiranpreet kaur et al., (2016), Rajalakshmi and Kalavathi (2017).It is often observed in stressful conditions that an individual may choose to use more than one coping strategy depending on their unique personality or experience (Tennen et al., (2000), Valliammal et al., (2015).

ASD or Autism spectrum disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition which is life-long and its onset is at the early years of childhood. It is displayed by difficulties in communication, socialization and repetitive or stereotypical behaviour (Sarika Yadav, 2016). Some common strategies used by parents of children with ASD to cope with their situation include: support groups, support from family and friends, taking parenting classes to learn ways to help their child grow and learn, or seeking professional help to talk about the changes happening in one's family (Olson, 2010). There was a difference in the coping mechanisms used by mothers and fathers of children with developmental disabilities. Mothers employed or needed more support from professionals, other parents and support groups than fathers. Mothers tended to externalize and share their experiences and got hope and strength from sharing and recounting and hearing other’s experiences compared to fathers (Khan and Alam (2016) Sneha et al., (2017)).

Rationale of the present study:

In a study conducted by Khan & Alam (2016) in India, it was found that parents were left to cope with their situation without much professional guidance. This led to worry and anxiety in parents about the child’s educational and future needs. Parents were also not aware of counselling facilities available for themselves and their families. Parental intervention or counselling could help parents in identifying better coping strategies to deal with their problems and thus reduce anxiety and depression and lead to better outcomes in the child’s development and future.The review of existing literature indicated a lack of studies which explored coping strategies in parents whose children were recently given a diagnosis and comparing these strategies with that of parents where time has gone by after the diagnosis. Hence, the present study undertook two groups.

Method:

Aim:

The aim of the study was to explore the coping strategies in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Research Objectives:

To examine coping strategies in parents of children who have been diagnosed with ASD.

Operational Definition:

Coping Strategies:

Coping strategies are efforts made by the individual to deal with the stressors.

Research Design:

This study was designed to explore the different coping strategies in parents of children with autism in the Indian context. A qualitative research was thus designed and utilized. This research design was used to develop an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon of interest. It required the researcher to establish rapport with the participants, conduct interviews, and then through theoretical reflection address the research problem.

Sample and Procedure:

A total of 12 parents were recruited for the study. Both groups comprised of 6 parents of whom 3 were mothers and 3 were fathers. Group Acomprised of parents whose children have been given a recent diagnosis of less than 6 months and Group B comprised of parents who have children in the age group of 12 to 18 years or who were in the process of being trained in vocational skills. Purposive sampling technique was used by the researcher in order to select the respondents for this study. The parents of those children who have been diagnosed with ASD but with co-morbidity such as intellectual delay or cerebral palsy were excluded from the study.

Measures:

1. Socio demographic data sheets A and B, which gathered parent and child information like age, gender, etc.

2. A semi-structured interview schedule was developed based on the review of literature. Face validity was established after incorporating the feedback of three psychologists, of whom two were working in the field of Special Education in Autism.

Analysis:

Socio demographic data was analysed using descriptive statistics. The interview conducted on the participants was transcribed. The data obtained in the semi structured interview was analysed using thematic analysis. Based on the objectives, the data from the semi structured interview was coded into domains, themes and sub themes.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:

Group A comprised of six participants, in the age range of 28 to 41 years. The mean age of the participants was 33 years. Group B comprisedof six participants in the age range of 33 to 50 years. The mean age of the participants was 44 years. In both groups, all the participants were married. One participant in each group had only one child, all the other participants had two children.

Children of the participants in group A were in the age group of 2.6 to 4.3 years, their mean age being 3.35 years. All of them were boys and the average age at diagnosis was 3 years. Children of the participants in group B were in the age group of 13 to 17 years, their mean age being 14.5 years. All of them were boys, and the average age at their diagnosis was 2.6 years.

The themesand sub-themes that emerged within the domain of coping were a) Religion, b) Support from Family, c) Extra familial support and d) Additional coping strategies.

Coping Strategy – Religion:

From the data in table 1, which is presented below it can be seen that the sub-themes that emerged were increased ritual activity / increase in visiting holy places and disillusionment with God. Group A showed that 3 out of 6 participants increased their religious activity as against 4 out of 6 participants in Group B. Group A participants showed more disillusionment with God as against Group B participants ( 4 out of 6 as against 2 out of 6). Group A consisted of young parents and most of them 5 out of 6 participants were living in nuclear families with no support from their family of origin.

According to Ahmadi et al., (2011) how a family views a child with autism is characterised by severity of the symptoms displayed, cultural values of the family, financial and social status of the family, and their religious and spiritual paradigms. According to Mancil, Boyd & Bedesem (2009) various strategies were employed by parents to handle their stress levels. Some parents used peer support groups while others found solace in religion. The main difference between urban and rural families in coping mechanisms was increased spirituality and social support in the rural depicting their traditional values and culture (Brasfield, 2008, Indra (2018).

Table 1: Comparing Group A and Group B in the Domain Coping Strategies, Theme – Religion(N=12)

	Group A	Group B
Increase in Ritual Activity/ Visits to Holy places	3	4
Disillusionment with God	4	2

Coping strategies – Support from Family:

It was observed in table 2 that most participants of Group A (4 out of 6) found support from their spouse in coping with the disability of the child and tended to hide the disclosure of the disability from extended family and friends compared to the participants of Group B who found support from extended family members (5 out of 6). The two common predictors of positive coping are resilience and family hardiness. Resilience is the ability to think, act or behave in the event of an adversity. People are usually resilient in that they are usually able to handle problems on their own. It is not that they don’t suffer from stress but are able to handle it. Some important contributors to resilience are self efficacy and support from family and outside. Family hardiness is an important contributor to resilience. It refers to the strengths of an individual which is characterised by support and interactions to and from the family (McCubbin & McCubbin, 1996).

Table 2: Comparing Group A and Group B in the Domain Coping Strategies, Theme – Support from Family (N=12)

	Group A	Group B
Spousal Support	4	3
Parental Support	1	5
Sibling Support	1	2

Coping Strategies – Extra familial support:

It was observed in the theme extra familial support, the sub-themes that emerged were a). Support from parent groups, b). Support from professionals and c) the presence of supportive space. Most parents especially in Group B (4 out of 6) found immense support from peer parent groups. Parents in Group A as well as Group B (3 out of 6) found support from various professionals in the field. Parents in Group B (4 out of 6) found support in the presence of supportive space like special school where they could interact with other parents and professionals.

Social support is a very important tool in coping strategies. Social support can be in the form of extended family, peer parent groups, professionals or the special school itself. Some of the strategies used by parents to cope with their situation include: support groups, support from family and friends, taking parenting classes to learn ways to help their child grow and learn, or seeking professional help to talk about the changes happening in one's family (Olson, 2010). Social support whether actual or perceived were seen as the greatest contributors to positive coping mechanisms. Studies have brought out the importance of establishing social supports for parents of children with developmental disabilities in the form of support groups, professional interactions and community support. (Khan & Alam, 2016).

Table 3: Comparing Group A and Group B in the Domain Coping Strategies, Theme – Extra Familial Support(N=12)

	Group A	Group B
Parent Groups	2	4
Professionals	3	3
Supportive Space	1	4

Coping Strategies – Additional Coping Strategies:

It was observed that in additional coping strategies, many sub-themes emerged like a). self efficacy, b). hope, c). avoidant coping, d). anger, e). denial, f). bargaining, g). expectation, h). acceptance and i). need for information to handle situation.

It was observed in the study that participants used various forms of coping. Parents in Group B had mostly (4 out of 6) had accepted the situation as against Group A parents (3 out of 6) who showed anger, denial and avoidance as their main coping strategies. There was an equal need for further information about the disorder as well as hope in both groups (4 out of 6 and 3 out of 6).

Generally, parents depending on their personal preferences or on the environmental needs used either positive or negative ways of coping. Positive coping helped parents to deal with the child’s disability whereas negative or poor coping skills by the parents had an adverse affect on their physical and psychological health Maryam et al., (2017), Elizabeth Jebakani (2011). Some of the factors which affected coping strategies in parents were income levels, education levels and social support(Khan and Alam 2016). Social support led to better handling of relations with spouse and family and it had positive co-relates to better handling of child behaviours. By sharing their situation, parents got more help and were able to handle the situation better than when they were attempting to do it alone (Breevaart and Bakker (2011).

Resilience involves processes that include behaviours, actions and thoughts of an individual which are learnt or developed in the face of adversity. Some of the important factors that contribute to resilience are: a relationship that is supportive, within the family or outside the family; a realistic and positive outlook of one’s own strengths; and the ability to make realistic future plans and implementing them. Indicators of resilience, such as optimism and self-efficacy, were predictors of a greater ability to cope with the challenge of raising a child with ASD (Cerezuela, Andres, Minguez and Pena, 2015).

Table 4: Comparing Group A and Group B in the Domain Coping Strategies, Theme – Additional Coping Strategies (N=12)

	Group A	Group B
Self Efficacy	1	2
Hope	3	3
Avoidant Coping	3	2
Anger	3	1
Denial	3	2
Acceptance		4
Bargaining	2	1
Expectation	4	2
Need for Information to Understand the Situation	4	4

CONCLUSION:

Parenting a child is not an easy task under normal circumstances itself, and when a child is diagnosed with a disorder which is potentially lifelong the consequences on the parents is hard. Different parents stress different things. For a parent with a child on the spectrum, the main stressors are maladaptive behaviours in the child, lack of communication skills and socialisation skills of the child, cost and time spent on therapies, financial burden, social stigma, planning for the future of the child, etc. The list is endless.

Parent handling of the child with autism depends not only on the characteristics displayed by the child, but also on the characteristics of the parent. The different ways a parent copes with the stressors, depends on their individual personality, experiences and professional help sought. It was seen in the study that different parents used different coping strategies. Some parents employed acceptance of the situation and positive reframing to deal with it. Others employed the use of avoidant coping and had issues in accepting the problem. These parents still held onto the hope that their child could have a normal life and would be able to live independently. There were yet other parents who used peer support from other parent groups and attended workshops, learnt about how to best deal with their child and get along with their life. There were also cases where parents were so involved with the special child that they neglected the other typically developing child. It was also seen in some cases that one parent was excessively involved with the special child, leaving the other parent and typical developing child to form a bond away from them. Some parents worried so much about the future of the child that it affected their health and relationships.

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Received on 10.12.2018 Modified on 22.12.2018

Res. J. Humanities and Social Sciences. 2019; 10(1): 155-159.

DOI: 10.5958/2321-5828.2019.00026.3