Stress and resilience in parents of autistic children - a cross-cultural research

Raising an autistic child presents distinct cultural challenges. Hence, the sociocultural elements that contribute to parenting stress and resilience need to be investigated to address effectively the psychological needs of parents of autistic children. This thesis is aimed at examining parental responses to stress and resilience and contributing factors in a sample of parents of autistic children from the UK and India using a mixed-methods design.

For Study1, parents of autistic children (n=120) and typically developing (TD) children (n=120) in India participated in uncovering the aspects of parental stress and resilience particular to each group. The study elicited that the Indian parents of autistic children have higher stress and lower resilience than the parents of TD children. Using the Double ABCX Model as a framework, Study 2 was aimed at investigating its utility in a cross-cultural study. A sample of parents of autistic children aged 3-16 years old from the UK (n=120) was compared with a sample from India (n=120). The findings indicate that the reported level of parental stress is higher, and resilience is lower in the Indian sample as compared with their UK counterparts. Factors contributing to elevated stress and lower resilience among Indian parents included poorer mental health, lower perceived social support, higher level of negative parental attitude towards the child, and higher affiliate stigma. However, Indian parents perceived they received more emotional support than UK parents. In Study 3, the experiences of stress and resilience in parents of autistic children in India (n=15) was compared with an UK (n=15) sample. The findings reveal that both Indian and UK parents described their stressors as ranging from child-related factors to socio-economic, cultural, and family-level difficulties However, there were significant disparities in the nature and the perception of stress. Notably, to make sense of their child's autism diagnosis, Indian parents used a blend of cultural and religious explanations.

The findings from these studies help us fill in the gaps in the lived experience underlying the Double ABCX framework and explain why Indian parents may be reluctant to seek a diagnosis for their children. These findings could assist practitioners in understanding the specific requirements of parents from diverse cultures and thus, be able to give appropriate culturally sensitive support.