Family System and Coping Behaviors: A comparison between parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders and parents with non-autistic children
Abstract
The study deals with strain on the family system, as well as the level of coping and types of coping behavior of the parents, in families with a child diagnosed as having an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) as compared to families in a control group. Thirty-seven families and 66 parents were involved in each case, and four psychological tests were used. It was found that lower levels of coping were associated with higher levels of strain on the family system, that the level of strain on the family system was greater in the families with a child with an ASD, and that the two groups differed in their pattern of coping behavior. It is argued that limited contact between the child with an ASD and its parents, claimed earlier to be a cause of autism, can be explained in terms of strain on the family system and the resulting pattern of coping.
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Parents of autistic children employ more avoidance coping than parents of children without autism.
“In addition, parents of autistic children report that they employ more avoidance coping (i.e. cognitive distancing/minimizing; escape behaviors) than parents of children without autism, which may be related to increased strain on the family system (Sivberg, 2002).”
From Parent, child, and family outcomes following Acceptance And Commitment Therapy for parents of autistic children: A randomized controlled trial (2024) · cites this paper as Sivberg, 2002
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“In addition, parents of autistic children report that they employ more avoidance coping (i.e. cognitive distancing/minimizing; escape behaviors) than parents of children without autism, which may be related to increased strain on the family sys-tem (Sivberg, 2002).”
BackgroundUse of a relaxation technique by mothers of children with autism: A case-series study
Gika, D. M., Artemiadis, A. K., Alexopoulos, E. C., Darviri, C., Papanikolaou, K., & Chrousos, G. P. (2012) · Psychological Reports · doi:10.2466/20.15.21.pr0.111.6.797-804 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
- Authors
- Sivberg, B.
- Affiliations
- Lund University (SE)
- Corresponding author
- Sivberg, Bengt
- ORCID
- Sivberg, Bengt
- Venue
- Autism
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2002-12
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 397-409
- ISSN
- 1362-3613 (ISSN-L)
- 1461-7005
- OpenAlex
- W2171192300
- Cited by
- 207
- References
- 3
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 10 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 12 · 2016: 14 · 2015: 11 · 2014: 15 · 2013: 16 · 2012: 11
- FWCI
- 2.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Autism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Lund University Publications (Lund University) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Medicinska Fakulteten, Lunds Universitet
- 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 › Family Caregiving in Mental Illness
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, family systems, coping styles, parental stress, family strain, parents of autistic children, parent-child contact, autism etiology
- MeSH terms
- Adaptation, Psychological, Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Autistic Disorder, Child, Child, Preschool, Family Health, Female, Humans, Infant, Male, Middle Aged, Parent-Child Relations
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