| Countless studies have demonstrated that families of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD's) experience more stress compared to families of children with other disabilities, diagnoses or with neurotypical children (Lee, Harrington, Louie & Newschaffer, 2008). It has been documented that stress experienced from daily responsibilities is more strongly correlated to psychological well-being than the stress experienced from major life events (Nesteruk & Garrison; Pelham Jr. & Lang, 1999). Other studies have demonstrated that mothers of children with an ASD are at a markedly increased risk for suffering from psychological distress, depression and social isolation as compared to mothers of neurotypical children and mothers of children with Down Syndrome (Lee et al., 2008; Sivberg, 2002; Twoy et al., 2007).;In addition to parents of children with ASD's being more susceptible to psychological distress, depression, anxiety and stress, evidence has been found to suggest that having a child with an ASD in a family unit can stress marital relationships, decrease marital satisfaction and lower marital adjustment (Simmerman et al., 2001). Studies have demonstrated a relationship between elevated daily stressors that result from caring for a child with an ASD and lower perceived marital quality (Stoneman & Gavidia-Payne, 2006).;The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship among early intervention services (EI), communication skills, conflict resolution skills, life satisfaction, marital satisfaction and family cohesion on parenting stress in married couples who have a child with an ASD. Forty-four married couples (N = 44) who have a child with an ASD served as the sample for the current study. Due to the prevalence of ASD's, it is important for research to investigate what accounts for the variability that exists among families who have children with an ASD in order to better understand the factors that either protect them or make them more susceptible to parenting stress. With this information, more effective and appropriate interventions can be created and implemented to help families of children with ASD's.;Based on the literature, the current study tested three different hypothesized models to determine which variables most strongly predicted levels of parenting stress. Path analysis via AMOS was used to test the different hypothesized models. The models that accounted for the greatest amount of variance and were the best fit for the data confirmed the relationship between high levels of family cohesion and lower levels of parenting stress, if the participants also reported higher communication skills, higher conflict resolution skills and higher levels of marital satisfaction. The current study also found that parents of children with ASD's younger than five years of age reported higher levels of parenting stress compared to parents of children with ASD's who are five-12 years old and 13-18 years old. Clinical implications, limitations of the current study and directions for future research are also discussed. |
