Mothers’ adaptation in the context of child autism: Insight into their perspective

• In Event: Poster Session 07
  In Poster Session: PS 07 Topic - Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), one of the most common developmental disorders, is characterized by social interaction difficulties, communication deficits, and repetitive and restrictive behaviors (APA, 2013). Autistic children may also present health, psychological and academic difficulties (APA, 2013; Simonoff et al., 2008). These challenges can impact the psychological, social, professional and marital life of parents of an autistic child and affect their adaptation (Hayes & Watson, 2013; Ooi et al., 2016). Studies have examined parents’ adaptation in the context of autism and have identified factors contributing to their adaptation. The double ABCX model of Family Stress and Adaptation (McCubbin & Patterson, 1983; see Figure 1) has been used by several authors interested in parent’s adaptation in the context of ASD (e.g., McStay et al. 2014; Meleady et al., 2020; Pozo et al., 2014). Qualitative studies have looked separately at the subjective experience of what it is to be the mother of a child on the ASD spectrum, at the impacts of having an autistic child or at parents’ coping strategies (e.g., Kuhaneck et al. 2010; Meirsschaut et al., 2010; Nealy et al., 2012; Nicholas et al., 2016). However, few studies have examined how mothers of autistic children perceive their own adaptation while taking into account their perception of experienced stressors, their resources and their coping strategies. Therefore, this study, conducted with mothers of a young autistic child, aims at describing their perception of their global adaptation as a mother. It also aims at documenting how COVID-19 affected their adaptation in their maternal role. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used. Ten French-speaking mothers of at least one autistic child aged between two and seven years were recruited through daycare centers and social media. A semi-structured phone interview (averaging one hour) was conducted with each mother between April and June 2020. An interview guide was developed and included seven questions relating to mothers’ perception of their general adaptation in their maternal role, the successes and challenges that they faced and the impacts of the pandemic on their adaptation. A three steps qualitative analysis was conducted on the interview transcripts using a mixed coding tree (Miles et al., 2018) based on the available literature in the field and the primary analysis of three interviews. A cross-case analysis (Miles et al., 2018) was then conducted to describe tendencies among participants regarding the themes and subthemes identified (see Table 1). Participants perceived the process of having to adapt as a part of being a mother, but highlighted that having an autistic child added another layer to their own adaptation. Mothers tended to perceive their adaptation as good considering the challenges they faced. This study sheds new light on the complexity of mothers’ adaptation in the context of autism. It stresses the importance for research to document the personal needs of mothers of autistic children, as they may have difficulties identifying them spontaneously. It also emphasizes the importance of developing services to support them throughout their adaptation journey.

Authors

• Delphine Périard-Larivée, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR)
  Presenting Author

• Eve-Line Bussières
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jean-Yves Bégin, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières
  Non-Presenting Author

• Diane St-Laurent, Universite du Quebec a Trois-Rivieres
  Non-Presenting Author