Psychological Distress in Jordanian Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Positive Reappraisal Coping

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Abstract

Background

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently report poor psychological well-being. Positive reappraisal coping (PRC) is a coping strategy which offers a protective effect from anxiety and depression. However, the association between PRC and the psychological distress in parents of children with ASD has yet to be established.

Aim

This study examines the association between PRC and the psychological distress in parents of children with ASD.

Method

In this descriptive correlational study, 104 parents of children with ASD completed measures of psychological distress and PRC. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to examine the association between PRC and the psychological distress in parents after controlling the influence of parental age and gender.

Results

The PRC was associated with the psychological distress in parents above and beyond the variance accounted for by parental age and gender. After controlling for parental age and gender, PRC had significant negative correlation with the levels of anxiety, stress, and depression in parents (Anxiety: β = −0.36, p < 0.001; Stress: β = −0.21, p = 0.03; Depression: β = − 0.37, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

Using positive reappraisal coping strategy may help to reduce psychological distress in parents of children with ASD.

Section snippets

Participants

All parents who were invited to participate in the study met the following inclusion criteria: (a) having a child diagnosed with ASD, diagnosed using the DSM-V criteria; (b) being literate and Arabic-speaking; (c) not diagnosed with any cognitive disorder or a psychiatric illness; (d) able to read the questionnaire materials and willing to complete all study measures (e) living with the child diagnosed with ASD in the same home.

Based on a sample power calculation for the hierarchical multiple

Sample Characteristics

Only 31 out of the 104 parents who completed the study were fathers. The mean age for parents was about 36 years. Two mothers were single parents, while all the other parents were married. All participants were literate and able to read and write Arabic. Most participants (70%) were not currently employed. The majority of participants (71%) whose parents completed the study had medical insurance covering the cost of private speech therapy and behavioral therapy sessions. About 78% of parents

Discussion

This study examined the role of PRC in predicting psychological distress (i.e., anxiety, depression, and stress) in parents of children with ASD after the influence of parental age and gender was controlled. In the current study, parental age and gender were found to predict parental stress, but not parental anxiety and depression. The small sample size in relation to the number of the independent variables could contribute to the nonsignificance of parental age and gender to predict parental

Acknowledgment

The authors acknowledge the partial funding from the University of Jordan.

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    Conflict of Interest: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

    Ethical approval: All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

    Informed consent: “Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.”

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