Parent Acceptance and Empowerment
Parents are often overwhelmed by the challenges presented by a child with autism. Research has shown that parents of children on the spectrum exhibit a characteristic stress profile which includes anxiety related to the child's uneven intellectual profiles, deficits in social relatedness, disruptive and maladaptive behaviors (internalizing and externalizing problems) and long-term care concerns. Among these stressors, the child’s maladaptive behavior profile is most reliably linked to parent stress.
Studies indicate that raising children with autism is associated with higher levels of parenting stress and psychological distress than parenting typically developing children, children with a physical disability, or children with developmental delays without autism. Mothers, in particular, appear to face unique challenges related to the characteristics of autism. Because autism impairs social relatedness and adaptive functioning, parent stress can decrease helpful psychological processes and directly influence the parent or caregiver’s ability to support the child with disabilities.
Research
Increased attention is now being given to the psychological well-being of parents of children and youth with autism. A number of studies have examined the factors that can influence the impact of children’s problem behavior on parent mental health. A study in the Journal Autism examined the relationships between child problem behavior, parent mental health problems, psychological acceptance (e.g., accepting and not being adversely influenced by negative emotions and thoughts that a parent may have about their child), and parent empowerment (e.g., actively attempting to change or eliminate potentially stressful events through the application of knowledge and skills).
The
researchers found that the more positive parents’ psychological acceptance and
empowerment, the less they reported severe mental health problems. Although
greater parent empowerment was associated with fewer parent mental health
problems, psychological acceptance had the greatest impact on parent
mental health problems, after controlling for ASD symptomatology, negative life
events, parent and child gender, and child age.
Implications
This study has several important implications. The relatively chronic nature of behavior problems in children with autism may explain why acceptance is a more significant psychological construct for explaining parent mental health than is empowerment. If difficulties are manageable and support readily available, then an active, problem-focused coping style would be related to improved parent adjustment. However, for children with autism who exhibit more persistent behavior problems, or for highly stressed and frustrated parents, a problem-focused process may not be enough to ensure positive parent adjustment. If problems are less controllable and/or support less accessible, it may be impossible for parents to focus exclusively on trying to change or avoid their current experience. The authors comment, “In these situations, parents need a different coping strategy, one that allows them to acknowledge their current experience without trying to change it or avoid it.” Therefore, it may be critically important to understand and evaluate the situation of the family, and offer parents both types of coping skills (acceptance and empowerment) for use across different situations.
This study supports
the exploration of acceptance and mindfulness-based interventions as effective
approaches for parents of children with autism and underscores the importance of
considering the parent psychological experience when developing interventions. The authors conclude, “Child-focused therapy should not
focus exclusively on the child. At the same time that we provide parents with
skills and supports to improve their children’s experience, we must also invest
in helping parents to deal with their own emotions and coping strategies.”
Weiss, J. A., Cappadocia,
M. C., MacMullin, J. A., Viecili, M., & Lunsky, Y. (2012). The impact of child
problem behaviors of children with ASD on parent mental health: The mediating
role of acceptance and empowerment. Autism, 16, 261-274. DOI:
10.1177/1362361311422708
Lee
A. Wilkinson, PhD, is a licensed and nationally certified school
psychologist, and certified cognitive-behavioral
therapist. He is author of the award-winning books, A Best Practice Guide to Assessment and
Intervention for Autism and Asperger Syndrome in Schools and Overcoming Anxiety and Depression on the
Autism Spectrum: A Self-Help Guide Using CBT. He is also
editor of a text in the APA School Psychology Book
Series, Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and
Adolescents: Evidence-Based Assessment and Intervention in Schools. His latest book is A Best Practice Guide to Assessment and
Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools (2nd Edition).