Sense of coherence and coping with stress among mothers and fathers of children with autism.
Parents of autistic children often feel life is less coherent and rely more on avoidance—so screen and link them to stress help early.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Pisula et al. (2010) compared two groups of parents. One group had autistic children. The other group had neurotypical children.
They asked each parent to fill out two short surveys. One measured sense of coherence. That is how much life feels understandable, manageable, and meaningful. The other survey asked how they cope with stress.
What they found
Parents of autistic children scored lower on sense of coherence. They also used more escape-avoidance coping. That means they tried to avoid problems instead of solving them.
Mothers and fathers looked the same on both measures. Child gender did not change the results either.
How this fits with other research
Sivberg (2002) saw the same pattern eight years earlier. That study also found higher strain and weaker coping in ASD parents. The new data confirm the older warning.
Koegel et al. (2014) flipped the lens. They stayed inside ASD-only families and showed that higher sense of coherence protects parents from stress. So low scores are a real risk marker, not just a difference.
Sawyer et al. (2014) went further. They tracked how child behavior problems chip away at sense of coherence, which then drops family quality of life. The chain reaction starts with the low scores Ewa flagged.
Why it matters
You already screen for child progress. Add two quick parent questions: "Do you feel life makes sense right now?" and "When problems hit, do you face them or avoid them?" If answers feel shaky, hand the family a stress-management sheet or a support-group number. Five minutes can steer them toward help before strain snowballs.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The purpose of the study was to compare the level of sense of coherence (SOC) in parents of children with autism and in parents of typically developing children, and to examine the association between SOC level and coping strategies. Two questionnaires were used: Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29) and Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Parents of children with autism had a lower level of the total SOC, meaningfulness, and manageability compared with controls, and used escape-avoidance coping more often. No differences in SOC level were found between mothers and fathers. In parents of children with autism the SOC level was positively associated with seeking social support and self-controlling, and negatively with accepting responsibility and positive reappraisal.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2010 · doi:10.1007/s10803-010-1001-3