Examining Stress and Coping in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are at risk for experiencing elevated levels of distress; coping has been shown to moderate parents experience of distress, but popular instruments of both stress and coping have not been well-validated in the ASD population. Previous research on a commonly-used measure of parental distress, the Parenting Stress Index – Short Form (PSI-SF), has shown that its three subscale model does not adequately explain data from parents of children with ASD. The goal of the current study was to further examine the psychometric properties of the PSI-SF and to examine the psychometric properties of an instrument that measures coping – namely, the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scales (F-COPES) – using a large, community-based sample of parents of 1,790 children with ASD obtained from archived screening assessments conducted over a decade and a half (2000 – 2016). Further, the large sample provided an opportunity to examine separately the responses of fathers, which has been a gap in the literature. First, the factor structure of each questionnaire was examined in mothers and fathers separately using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to evaluate the fit of the model of the questionnaires as published. As expected from previous research with smaller samples, the fit indices differed from the original validation structures published in the test manuals with identified subscales shown to be lacking psychometric verification. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was then completed on half of each sample (mothers and fathers separately) to examine other models for improved fit. After new factor structures were developed, these models were examined using CFA on the other half of the sample for cross-validation. Based on these analyses, a 5-factor model was developed for the PSI-SF (General Parental Distress, Behavioural Regulation, Reciprocity, Child Limits, Perceived Disagreeable Behaviour) and a 7-factor model was developed for the F-COPES (Social Support from Friends and Family, Self-Efficacy, Religious Participation/Coping, Passive/Avoidant Coping, Formal Supports, Supports from Neighbours, Acceptance), with the factors defining the same subscale pattern for mothers and fathers. Finally, child and demographic factors (age, sex, adaptive behaviour, autism symptom severity, and socioeconomic status) were evaluated as potential predictors of the newly developed PSI-SF and F-COPES subscale scores in mothers and fathers. The findings of this large clinical sample research have important applications for instrument subscale revisions to improve measurement and have implications for theoretical models of parental stress and coping. Future research might explore some of the preliminary findings of differences between mothers and fathers in predictors arising from newly proposed subscales of family distress and coping.