Stress and family quality of life in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: parent gender and the double ABCX model.

Koegel et al. (2014) asked moms and dads of kids with autism to fill out surveys.

They wanted to know if child meltdowns raised parent stress and if a strong family sense of coherence softened that blow.

The team used the Double ABCX model to map how child behavior, parent views, and coping fit together.

Parents reported more stress when their child showed lots of hitting, yelling, or running off.

Parents who said, "Our family makes sense to us and we can handle what comes," felt less stress and better quality of life.

Moms felt the strain a bit more than dads, but the buffer effect held for both.

Yorke et al. (2018) pooled 43 studies and found the same link: tough child behavior boosts parent stress.

Pisula et al. (2010) saw lower sense of coherence in autism parents years earlier, so the 2014 paper adds the full Double ABCX frame.

Argumedes et al. (2018) went a step further and showed family-centered support can cut both behavior and stress, turning the survey finding into action.

Liu et al. (2024) found the same behavior-stress path in Chinese families, proving the pattern crosses cultures.

You can add a short sense-of-coherence check to parent intake forms. One page, three questions. If the score is low, weave family coherence goals into your parent training plan. Stronger family meaning today can mean lower stress tomorrow.