Title:
The relation between autism severity and parenting stress: mediated by parenting self-efficacy
Author:
Janine Domingues
Thesis Advisor:
Beth Kotchick
Committee Member:
Alison Papadakis
Committee Member:
Kathy Niager
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2007
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
reformatted digital
Abstract:
Research suggests that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher levels of stress when compared to parents of children with other disabilities and when compared to parents of children without disabilities. Literature supports that the more severe a parent perceives his or her child's autistic symptoms to be, the higher the level of perceived parenting stress and the lower the level of perceived parenting self-efficacy parents experience. This study aims to explore perceived parenting self-efficacy as a mediating variable in the relation between a parent's perceptions of the severity of his or her child's autistic symptoms and parenting stress. Twenty-five parents (76.0% female) were recruited from three agencies that provide services to families of children with autism. Measures used in the study were: the Autism Behavior Checklist (Krug, Arick, and Almond, 1980), the Parenting Sense of Competence scale (Johnston and Mash, 1989), the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (Abidin, 1995), and a demographic questionnaire. Results confirm a relation between parenting stress and parenting self-efficacy, where higher levels of parenting stress are associated with lower levels of parenting self-efficacy. Contrary to predictions, however, parenting stress and parenting self-efficacy were not associated with autism severity, and as a result, testing for mediation could not be completed. Although this study did not demonstrate parenting self-efficacy as a mediating variable, results suggest that parenting efficacy is an important variable in understanding parenting stress. Study limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Subject:
Parents of autistic children--Psychology
Subject:
Parent and child--Psychological aspects
Subject:
Autistic children--Family relationships
Subject:
Stress (Psychology)
Subject:
Self-efficacy
Subject:
Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC)
Subject:
Parenting Stress Index--Short Form
Subject:
Parenting Sense of Competence Scale PSCS
Degree:
Master of Science
Level:
Master
Discipline:
Clinical Psychology
Restrictions on Access:
Author has given permission to make this work available online to Loyola Notre Dame Library basic constituency.
Use and Reproduction:
The authors of theses and dissertations are the copyright owners. Loyola Notre Dame Library has their permission to store and provide access to these works. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Permission is required to use materials for which Loyola Notre Dame Library, Loyola University Maryland, or Notre Dame of Maryland University hold copyright. In addition, the reproduction of some materials may be restricted by terms of gift of purchase agreements, donor restrictions, privacy and publicity rights, licensing and trademarks. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Identifier:
DominguesJ-07
