A Comparative Analysis of Well-Being and Coping among Mothers of Toddlers and Mothers of Adolescents with ASD

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2008-05, Vol.38 (5), p.876-889
• Main Authors: Smith, Leann E., Seltzer, Marsha Mailick, Tager-Flusberg, Helen, Greenberg, Jan S., Carter, Alice S.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Adolescent; Adolescents; Adult; Autism; Autistic children; Autistic Disorder - psychology; Autistic spectrum disorders; Behavior; Behavior Problems; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Cerebral palsy; Child and School Psychology; Child Rearing; Comparative Analysis; Coping; Developmental disabilities; Down syndrome; Emotional Response; Families & family life; Family environment. Family history; Female; Humans; Intellectual disabilities; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Maternal Behavior - psychology; Medical sciences; Mental health; Mother-Child Relations; Mothers; Mothers - psychology; Neurosciences; Original Paper; Parent Role; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Preschool children; Problem Solving; Psychology; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Public Health; Quality of Life - psychology; Severity (of Disability); Social psychiatry. Ethnopsychiatry; Stress; Stress Management; Stress Variables; Surveys and Questionnaires; Symptoms (Individual Disorders); Teenagers; Toddlers; Well Being; Wellbeing
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-007-0461-6

The present study examined the impact of autism symptoms and coping strategies on the well-being of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The sample consisted of 153 mothers of toddlers and 201 mothers of adolescents drawn from two ongoing, longitudinal studies of families of individuals with ASD. For mothers of toddlers, lower levels of emotion-focused coping and higher levels of problem-focused coping were generally associated with better maternal well-being, regardless of the level of child symptomatology. For mothers of adolescents, coping often acted as a buffer when autism symptoms were high. Although there was evidence of maternal distress in both groups, the presence of significant buffering effects reflects adaptation in the face of stress, particularly for mothers of adolescents.