Daily Stress, Coping, and Well-Being in Parents of Children with Autism: A Multilevel Modeling Approach
Abstract
This study used a repeated daily measurement design to examine the direct and moderating effects of coping on daily psychological distress and well-being in parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Twice weekly over a 12-week period, 93 parents provided reports of their daily stress, coping responses, and end-of-day mood. Multilevel modeling analyses identified 5 coping responses (e.g., seeking support, positive reframing) that predicted increased daily positive mood and 4 (e.g., escape, withdrawal) that were associated with decreased positive mood. Similarly, 2 coping responses were associated with decreased daily negative mood and 5 predicted increased negative mood. The moderating effects of gender and the 11 coping responses were also examined. Gender did not moderate the daily coping?mood relationship, however 3 coping responses (emotional regulation, social support, and worrying) were found to moderate the daily stress?mood relationship. Additionally, ASD symptomatology, and time since an ASD diagnosis were not found to predict daily parental mood. This study is perhaps the first to identify coping responses that enhance daily well-being and mitigate daily distress in parents of children with ASD.
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Use of coping strategies has been related to paternal psychological well-being both within short longitudinal designs and when assessing day-to-day stress using diary methods.
“In addition, use of coping strategies has been related to paternal psychological well-being both within short longitudinal designs (Glidden et al. 2006) and when assessing day-to-day stress using diary methods (Pottie & Ingram 2008).”
From Psychological acceptance mediates the impact of the behaviour problems of children with intellectual disability on fathers' psychological adjustment. (2010) · cites this paper as Pottie & Ingram 2008
It is well known that parental competence and problem-solving skills are influenced by the disruptive behavior of their kids.
“It is well known that parental competence and problem-solving skills are influenced by the disruptive behavior of their kids [47,48].”
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- Authors
- Pottie, C. G., & Ingram, K. M.
- Affiliations
- Virginia Commonwealth University (US)
- Venue
- Journal of Family Psychology
- Published
- 2008-12
- Volume
- 22
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 855-864
- ISSN
- 0893-3200 (ISSN-L)
- 1939-1293
- OpenAlex
- W2155737447
- Cited by
- 253
- References
- 39
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 15 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 12 · 2019: 23 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 14 · 2016: 25 · 2015: 16 · 2014: 16 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 17
- FWCI
- 10.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Journal of Family Psychology (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (752-2004-0434)
- Organization for Autism Research
- Society of the Psychological Study of Social Issues
- Virginia Commonwealth University Graduate School
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Family and Disability Support Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, parents of autistic children, daily stress, coping responses, parental well-being, parental mood, positive and negative mood, gender differences, emotion regulation, social support, worry, support seeking, positive reframing, time since diagnosis
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Affect, Autistic Disorder, Child, Child Development Disorders, Pervasive, Child, Preschool, Female, Humans, Male, Parents, Personality Inventory, Stress, Psychological, Cost of Illness, Asperger Syndrome
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