Coping by redefinition: cognitive appraisals in mothers of children with autism and children without autism.
To test a model of how mothers cope with the stresses of raising a child with autism (Tunali & Power, 1993), mothers of children with and without autism were interviewed. As predicted, mothers of autistic children: (1) placed less emphasis on career success and were more likely to believe that mothers of young children should not work outside of the home; (2) spent more leisure time with their extended family; (3) placed less emphasis on others' opinions of their child's behavior; (4) placed more emphasis on spousal support and parental roles in their discussions of marriage; (5) had more difficulty understanding their child's behavior; and (6) showed a marginally significant difference in their tolerance of ambiguity. Moreover, mothers of children with autism who showed these characteristics had the greatest life satisfaction overall.
Tunali
Belgin
B
University of Houston, Texas, USA.
Power
Thomas G
TG
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D002321:Career Choice; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D008393:Marriage; D008875:Middle Aged; D009035:Mothers / Q000523:psychology*; D016487:Parenting / Q000523:psychology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D010555:Personality Inventory; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications