ABSTRACT
Introduction: Parents to children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face diverse daily demands that can lead to stress. The aim of this study was to examine to which extent stress in parents to children with ASD can be explained by daily demands before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (after lockdowns; first half of 2022), and whether there are differences between the two time periods in this regard. Methods: Data from parents to children with ASD living in Germany from two independent questionnaire studies (before the pandemic: N = 168, during the pandemic: N = 105) were matched for comparability. Simple and multiple linear regression analyses were used to answer the research question. Results: Parental stress as well as all demands examined showed higher levels during the COVID-19 pandemic than before. Significant predictors of parental stress before and during the COVID-19 pandemic were (1) the daily demands to deal with the child's problem behavior, (2) the restriction of one's personal way of life, and (3) the challenge to cooperate with the partner. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the child's problem behavior was particularly relevant. It was also found that the demand to deal with stigmatizing reactions did not explain parental stress during the COVID-19 pandemic whereas before the pandemic it had been a significant predictor. Discussion: Although parental stress and the demands of daily life increased during the pandemic, most of the stress can be explained by the same demands. It is suggested that the increased levels may be due to an increase in the child's ASD symptomatology, which is why it is advisable to install therapeutic and care structures that prepare children with ASD for future crises.
ABSTRACT
Introduction: Parents to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are exposed to numerous demands in their daily lives and exhibit high levels of stress. The present study aims to find out which coping resources are mediators that help parents cope with these demands and which of those coping resources amplify or reduce stress arising from the demands. Studies often only focus on the connection between coping resources and stress without taking the demands into account at the same time. Methods: For this reason, a mediation model was set up to answer the research question. Data from a German questionnaire survey with N = 266 parents who have children with ASD (two to 23 years old) were used. Subjectively perceived demands in everyday life (scale "Parental demands in everyday life"), parental stress ("Parental Stress Inventory", based on Abidin's parenting stress model) and the following coping resources were collected: parental self-efficacy beliefs ("Parents' sense of competence questionnaire"), available social support of parents (scale "Availability of social support") and parental coping strategies (German version of the Brief COPE). Results: An exploratory factor analysis revealed four mediators: dysfunctional coping, functional coping, social support, and self-efficacy. The use of dysfunctional behavior and parental self-efficacy were found to be significant mediators that mediated between daily demands and parental stress. A direct effect of demands on parental stress was also found, implying partial mediation. The two factors of functional coping and support were not found to be significant mediators. Discussion: Key findings indicate that parental stress resulting from the daily demands of parenting children with ASD can be reduced by high parental self-efficacy and increased by dysfunctional coping. For practice, it can be deduced that dysfunctional coping strategies of parents to children with ASD should be reduced and parental self-efficacy should be strengthened in order to reduce stress which arises from the multiple demands in everyday life.
ABSTRACT
Strategies of Emotion Regulation in Adolescents with Depression The present study investigated differences between adolescents with a depressive disorder and control subjects in their adaptive und maladaptive regulation of negative emotions. We assessed emotion regulation strategies using the German self-report questionnaire FEEL-KJ in a sample of adolescents with depression (n = 57) and controls (n = 57). We found that adolescents with depression reported using less adaptive strategies and more maladaptive strategies for dealing with the negative emotions anxiety, sadness and anger than control subjects. Our findings indicate that adolescents with depression showed difficulties with regard to different negative emotions that should be considered in intervention.
Subject(s)
Depressive Disorder/psychology , Emotional Adjustment , Adolescent , Case-Control Studies , Child , Depressive Disorder/diagnosis , Female , Humans , Male , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
The present study investigated differences between adolescents with ADHD and control subjects in their adaptive und maladaptive regulation of negative emotions. We assessed emotion regulation strategies using the German self-report questionnaire FEEL-KJ in a sample of adolescents (between 11 and 18 years) with ADHD (disturbance of activity, impulsivity and attention: n = 32, hyperkinetic conduct disorder: n = 26) and controls (n = 58). We found that adolescents with ADHD reported using less adaptive strategies for dealing with negative emotions than control subjects. No effects were found for maladaptive emotion regulation strategies for anger, fear and sadness. Our findings indicate that adolescents with ADHD should be encouraged in the development of adaptive emotion regulation.
