{"title":"Coping strategies adopted by caregivers of children with autism in the Limpopo Province, South Africa.","authors":"Gsakani O Sumbane","doi":"10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1384","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies are frequently employed by caregivers of autistic children to increase their general well-being and resilience to the stress of raising the child. Although these strategies cannot directly address the situation, it is useful for handling stressful situations that cannot change.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The study seeks to explore and understand the emotion- and problem-focused strategies that caregivers use to cope with the challenges of raising a child with autism.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>This was a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research study. Twenty-eight caregivers were purposive-convenient sampled from the public special schools where their autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children are schooling. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data, which were then transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Positive emotion-focused strategies include positive reappraisal, reframing and acceptance. Negative emotion-focused strategies include denial, emotional release, cognitive distortion, self-isolation, overprotection, negative self-talk, punishment and religion. Problem-focused coping strategies include active and adaptive coping, peer group, professional support and social support.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The coping methods that have been identified can be integrated into intervention programmes and serve as a guide for specialised institutions that offer more extensive knowledge and assistance to families who are caring for children with ASD.</p><p><strong>Contribution: </strong>The study contributes to understanding the emotion- and problem-focused strategies adopted by rural caregivers in managing their emotions, interpretation of the situation and adjusting to the demands of raising an autistic child.</p>","PeriodicalId":45606,"journal":{"name":"African Journal of Disability","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11447578/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"African Journal of Disability","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.4102/ajod.v13i0.1384","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/1/1 0:00:00","PubModel":"eCollection","JCR":"Q4","JCRName":"HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background: Emotion- and problem-focused coping strategies are frequently employed by caregivers of autistic children to increase their general well-being and resilience to the stress of raising the child. Although these strategies cannot directly address the situation, it is useful for handling stressful situations that cannot change.
Objectives: The study seeks to explore and understand the emotion- and problem-focused strategies that caregivers use to cope with the challenges of raising a child with autism.
Method: This was a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research study. Twenty-eight caregivers were purposive-convenient sampled from the public special schools where their autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children are schooling. Semi-structured interviews were used to gather data, which were then transcribed and subjected to thematic analysis.
Results: Positive emotion-focused strategies include positive reappraisal, reframing and acceptance. Negative emotion-focused strategies include denial, emotional release, cognitive distortion, self-isolation, overprotection, negative self-talk, punishment and religion. Problem-focused coping strategies include active and adaptive coping, peer group, professional support and social support.
Conclusion: The coping methods that have been identified can be integrated into intervention programmes and serve as a guide for specialised institutions that offer more extensive knowledge and assistance to families who are caring for children with ASD.
Contribution: The study contributes to understanding the emotion- and problem-focused strategies adopted by rural caregivers in managing their emotions, interpretation of the situation and adjusting to the demands of raising an autistic child.
期刊介绍:
The African Journal of Disability, the official journal of CRS, AfriNEAD and CEDRES, introduce and discuss issues and experiences relating to and supporting the act of better understanding the interfaces between disability, poverty and practices of exclusion and marginalisation. Its articles yield new insight into established human development practices, evaluate new educational techniques and disability research, examine current cultural and social discrimination, and bring serious critical analysis to bear on problems shared across the African continent. Emphasis is on all aspects of disability particularity in the developing African context. This includes, amongst others: -disability studies as an emerging field of public health enquiry -rehabilitation, including vocational and community-based rehabilitation -community development and medical issues related to disability and poverty -disability-related stigma and discrimination -inclusive education -legal, policy, human rights and advocacy issues related to disability -the role of arts and media in relation to disability -disability as part of global Sustainable Development Goals transformation agendas -disability and postcolonial issues -globalisation and cultural change in relation to disability -environmental and climate-related issues linked to disability -disability, diversity and intersections of identity -disability and the promotion of human development.