Cited by 900Family and Disability Support ResearchAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchGrief, Bereavement, and Mental Health

Parenting stress and coping styles in mothers and fathers of pre-school children with autism and Down syndrome

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Dabrowska, A., Pisula, E.·2010·Journal of Intellectual Disability Research

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The study examined the profile of stress in mothers and fathers of preschool children with autism, Down syndrome and typically developing children. A further aim was to assess the association between parenting stress and coping style. METHODS: A total of 162 parents were examined using Holroyd's 66-item short form of Questionnaire of Resources and Stress for Families with Chronically Ill or Handicapped Members and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations by Endler and Parker. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The results indicated a higher level of stress in parents of children with autism. Additionally, an interaction effect was revealed between child diagnostic group and parent's gender for two scales of parenting stress: dependency and management and limits of family opportunities. Mothers of children with autism scored higher than fathers in parental stress; no such differences were found in the group of parents of children with Down syndrome and typically developing children. It was also found that parents of children with autism differed from parents of typically developing children in social diversion coping. Emotion-oriented coping was the predictor for parental stress in the samples of parents of children with autism and Down syndrome, and task-oriented coping was the predictor of parental stress in the sample of parents of typically developing children. The results strongly supported earlier findings on parenting stress in parents of children with autism. They also shed interesting light on the relationship between coping styles and parental stress.

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Crossref · 10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01258.x

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  • Parents and caregivers of children with autism often report high levels of stress.

    “In particular, parents and caregivers of children with autism often report high levels of stress (Dabrowska & Pisula, 2010)”

    From Mindfulness Parenting and Childish Play: A Clinical Trial With Parents of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (2023) · cites this paper as Dabrowska & Pisula, 2010

    The Discussion reports higher stress in parents of children with autism than in parents of children with Down syndrome or typically developing children. The study examined mothers and fathers of preschool children; our copy does not establish the claim for non-parent caregivers. (LLM, conf=0.84)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The chronic stress experienced by parents of children with ASD is greater than that experienced by parents of children with other disabilities such as Down Syndrome, behavioral disorders, and Fragile X Syndrome.

    “The chronic stress experienced by parents of children with ASD is reported to be greater than those experienced by parents of children with other disabilities, such as Down Syndrome, behavioral disorders, and Fragile X Syndrome [7,10,11]”

    From The effect of acceptance and commitment therapy for improving psychological well‐being in parents of individuals with autism spectrum disorders: A randomized controlled trial (2021) · cites this paper as [10]

    The Discussion (pp. 266–280; exact page unavailable) reports higher stress among parents of preschool children with autism than among parents of children with Down syndrome, and broadly refers to comparisons with other disabilities. It does not establish the specific comparisons with behavioral disorders or Fragile X syndrome claimed in the citing sentence. (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Parents of children with ASD most often use problem-focused coping strategies.

    “Lai & Oei (2014) indicated that parents of children with ASD most often use problem-focused coping strategies which is in accordance with similar reports regarding task-oriented coping (Dąbrowska & Pisula, 2010).”
  • Parents, especially mothers, of children with ASD often report elevated psychological distress profiles compared to parents of typically developing children and compared to parents of children with other disabilities.

    “Parents, especially mothers, of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often report elevated psychological distress profiles compared to parents of typically developing children (Eisenhower, Baker & Blacher, 2005; Schieve, Blumberg, Rice, Visser, & Boyle, 2007; Totsika, Hastings, Emerson, Berridge & Lancaster 2011), and compared to parents of children with other disabilities,”

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Cites

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Research works printed but not linked: 4

  1. Baker B. L., Blacher J., Crnic K. A. & Edelbrock C. (2002) Behavior problems and parenting stress in fami- lies of three-year-old children with and without develop- mental delays. American Journal on Mental Retardation 107, 433-44.
  2. Holroyd J. (1988) A review of criterion validation research on the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress for Fami- lies with chronically ill or handicapped members. Journal of Clinical Psychology 44, 335-54.
  3. Jones J. & Passey J. (2005) Family adaptation, coping and resources: parents of children with developmental dis- abilities and behaviour problems. Preview. Journal on Developmental Disabilities 11 (Special issue: special issue on families of individuals with DD), 31-46.
  4. Pisula E. (2007a) Rodzice i Rodzen ´stwo Dzieci z Zaburze- niami Rozwoju [Parents and Siblings of Children with Developmental Disorders]. Warsaw University Press, Warsaw.

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Authors
Dabrowska, A., & Pisula, E.
Affiliations
University of Warsaw (PL)
Corresponding author
Pisula, E.
Venue
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research
Publisher
Wiley
Published
2010-02-11
Volume
54
Issue
3
Pages
266-280
ISSN
  • 0964-2633 (ISSN-L)
  • 1365-2788
OpenAlex
W2022320127
Cited by
900
References
62
Citations by year
2026: 31 · 2025: 51 · 2024: 57 · 2023: 78 · 2022: 69 · 2021: 82 · 2020: 68 · 2019: 78 · 2018: 60 · 2017: 53 · 2016: 73 · 2015: 52 · 2014: 50 · 2013: 46 · 2012: 33
FWCI
33.28
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Intellectual Disability Research (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
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
parental stress, coping styles, autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, preschool children, parents, gender differences, emotion-focused coping, task-oriented coping, family stress, intellectual disability
MeSH terms
Adaptation, Psychological, Adult, Autistic Disorder, Child, Child, Preschool, Down Syndrome, Emotions, Family, Fathers, Female, Humans, Male, Mothers, Parents, Surveys and Questionnaires, Stress, Psychological, Parenting

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