A CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY ON COPING BEHAVIOR OF PAKISTANI PARENTS WITH A CHILD DIAGNOSED AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Number of studies reported that most of the parents of children with developmental disabilities such as Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are suffering from stress, anger, guilt and depression Either they not aware of the coping strategies or are in denial with self-condition, this led to adverse effects on parent's quality of life, relationship with each other and children. This study aims to discover the coping strategy that parents are following to overcome their emotional disturbance for being parent of child with ASD. METHODOLOGY A cross-sectional survey was responded by parents of children with ASD, enrolled via convenient sampling technique. The data was collected through a standardized questionnaire BREF-COPE, formulated in Google Docs, distributed via email or WhatsApp group. RESULTS A total number of 150 participants were enrolled in the study that included 74.2% of as primary care givers (mean age: 32.2±10.6 years) and their respective autistic children (mean age: 7.1±4.4 years). Results revealed 51.6% parents usually concentrate on their efforts with their children while 64.5% understand the reality of situation. Surprisingly, 12.9% consume alcohol or take antidepressant drugs while majority seeks emotional support from others to make them better. Overall, only 16.1% are able to implement coping strategies in their routines. CONCLUSION It was concluded that there is an intense need to introduce parent support group for better catharsis and inculcation of positive coping strategies among parents of children diagnosed with ASD