The Relationships Among Adaptive Behaviors of Children with Autism
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
University of Tennessee Health Science Center UTHSC Digital Commons Theses and Dissertations (ETD) College of Graduate Health Sciences 12-2008 The Relationships Among Adaptive Behaviors of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Their Family Support Networks, Parental Stress, and Parental Coping Heather Roberts Hall University of Tennessee Health Science Center Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.uthsc.edu/dissertations Part of the Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities Commons, and the Pediatric Nursing Commons Recommended Citation Hall, Heather Roberts , "The Relationships Among Adaptive Behaviors of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Their aF mily Support Networks, Parental Stress, and Parental Coping" (2008). Theses and Dissertations (ETD). Paper 344. http://dx.doi.org/ 10.21007/etd.cghs.2008.0123. This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Graduate Health Sciences at UTHSC Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations (ETD) by an authorized administrator of UTHSC Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Relationships Among Adaptive Behaviors of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Their aF mily Support Networks, Parental Stress, and Parental Coping Document Type Dissertation Degree Name Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) Program Nursing Research Advisor J. Carolyn Graff, Ph.D. Committee Michael A. Carter, DNSc Ann K. Cashion, Ph.D. D. Sharon Husch, Ph.D. Teena M. McGuinness, Ph.D. Mona N. Wicks, Ph.D. DOI 10.21007/etd.cghs.2008.0123 This dissertation is available at UTHSC Digital Commons: https://dc.uthsc.edu/dissertations/344 THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ADAPTIVE BEHAVIORS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER, THEIR FAMILY SUPPORT NETWORKS, PARENTAL STRESS, AND PARENTAL COPING A Dissertation Presented for The Graduate Studies Council The University of Tennessee Health Science Center In Partial Fulfillment Of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy From The University of Tennessee By Heather Roberts Hall December 2008 Copyright © 2008 by Heather R. Hall All rights reserved ii DEDICATION This dissertation is dedicated to my husband, Frederick Hall, who has given me love and encouragement throughout this journey, and to my parents, Helen and Jimmy Roberts, who have always given me love and support, and who inspired me to achieve every goal in my life. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my mentor and chair of my dissertation committee, Dr. Carolyn Graff, for her leadership, guidance, support, and patience that assisted me in achieving this goal. I would also like to express thanks and appreciation to the entire committee for giving their time, support, and comments: Dr. Michael Carter, Dr. Ann Cashion, Dr. Sharon Husch, Dr. Teena McGuinness, and Dr. Mona Wicks. The assistance given by the entire committee was a great asset to the success of this dissertation. I express my appreciation to Dr. Hamilton I. McCubbin for granting me permission to use the Coping Health Inventory for Parents (CHIP) as an instrument in this study. Special appreciation is extended to the parents who willingly participated in this study and shared their invaluable perspectives and experiences. An expression of gratitude is extended to the Lauralee Larrabee Adolescent Research Endowment and The University of South Alabama College of Nursing Dean’s Grant for providing funding for this research. iv ABSTRACT Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the adaptive behaviors of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), their family support networks, parental stress, and parental coping and the relationships among these variables. Background: Autism is the fastest growing diagnosed developmental disorder. When parents receive a diagnosis of autism for their child, mothers and fathers are affected differently. The costs to families of children with autism are personal, social, and affect family finances and day to day living. Parents of a child with autism are at high risk for increased stress levels. The child’s socially unacceptable behaviors and communication problems contribute to parental stress. Available and accessible support services for children with autism, their caregivers, and families are often inadequate to address the increasing numbers of children being diagnosed with autism. Methods: A descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study was conducted with a purposive sample of 75 parents/primary caregivers of children with ASD. Parents provided information about the adaptive behaviors of their child with autism, family support networks, parental stress, and parental coping. Pearson product-moment correlation was used to identify the relationships between the variables. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify which of the independent variables better predicted parental coping patterns. Findings and Conclusion: The adaptive behaviors of children with autism were negatively correlated with parental behaviors which focused on continuing to seek and use social support, self-respect, and emotional strength. Parents’ views of the support their family received were positively correlated with parental behaviors that concentrated on family adjustment, teamwork, and a positive meaning of the situation. A trend toward significance was found between adaptive behaviors of the child with autism and paternal stress. These results bring new challenges and thoughts about how the children with autism and their families can be assisted. Parents who are coping with the added stresses in their lives need support that addresses the abilities of their child with autism, their own patterns of coping, and the resources available to their family. v TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION....................................................................................1 Problem...........................................................................................................................1 Purpose............................................................................................................................1 Research Questions.........................................................................................................2 Significance.....................................................................................................................2 Prevalence of Autism..................................................................................................2 Cost of Autism ............................................................................................................3 Additional Costs to Families.......................................................................................3 Combating Autism Act of 2006..................................................................................4 Subtypes of ASD.............................................................................................................4 Classic Autism or Autism Disorder ............................................................................5 Asperger’s Syndrome or Asperger’s Disorder............................................................5 Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified....................................5 Childhood Disintegrative Disorder.............................................................................6 Rett’s Syndrome or Rett’s Disorder............................................................................6 Background of Autism....................................................................................................6 Implications for Nurses...................................................................................................7 Conceptual Model...........................................................................................................8 Definition of Terms.........................................................................................................9 Assumption ...................................................................................................................11 Potential Limitations.....................................................................................................11 CHAPTER 2. LITERATURE REVIEW......................................................................12 Adaptive Behavior ........................................................................................................12 Overview of Adaptive Behavior ...............................................................................12 Importance of Adaptive Functioning........................................................................13 Daily Living Skills............................................................................................13 Communication Skills.......................................................................................14 Socialization Skills............................................................................................15 Motor Skills ......................................................................................................16 Family Support Networks.............................................................................................18 Informal Support.......................................................................................................19 Formal Support .........................................................................................................20