Religious Coping in Parents of a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
[Thesis]
Kennedy, Erin
Canada, Andrea L
Biola University
2020
90
Psy.D.
Biola University
2020
Raising a child with a disability, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), is a unique experience for parents and can have negative effects on mental health, family well-being, and daily functioning. In an attempt to counteract these effects, parents use numerous forms of coping to understand and adapt to the disability's impact on the family. There has been substantial research on the coping of parents raising a child with a disability, yet research on the risks and benefits of using religion as a coping strategy is limited. As the prevalence rate of ASD has increased, more support and services for this population are needed. Therefore, the focus of this paper is the use of religious coping in parents of children with ASD. Understanding how religion is used to cope with challenges related to ASD can help inform the development of a wider breadth of resources and interventions for families.