Different contributions of resilience and contextual factors to levels of anxiety, stress, and depression in parents of autistic children (Epub ahead of print)

Abstract

Parents of autistic children tend to have higher levels of parenting-related stress, anxiety, and depression than parents of typically developing children. This psychological distress can also affect their ability to take care of their children. In this sense, literature highlights some protective factors. The aim of the present study is to examine the influence of resilience and contextual factors on the state of anxiety, stress, and depression of parents of autistic children. In the present study, contextual factors included attending an association of parents of autistic children, having a trusted person to talk to, having a job outside the home, and having more children. Results showed that resilience had a strong and negative relationship with the three mental states. Nevertheless, contextual variables analyzed related differently with each of the states. In addition, regression analyses showed that resilience predicted a less degree of anxiety, stress, and depression; attending an association of parents of autistic children predicted having less anxiety and depression symp-toms; and having a trusted person to talk to predicted less level of depression. It is concluded that promoting resilience in parents of autistic children and providing context protective factors should improve the mental health and quality of life of these families.