Mediation role of coping strategies and perceived social support in relation to perceived stress and quality of life in parents with ASD children

Aim: The study purpose was to determinate the role of mediator of coping strategies and perceived social support in relation to perceived stress and quality of life of parents with ASD children. Research method was correlation and the statistical population were all parents of ASD children in 31 provinces of the whole of the country that was about 4000 in 1396. A sample of 660 qualified father or mother was selected by purposive sampling method, and responded to questionnaires of Perceived Stress Scale of Cohen, Kamarck and Mermelstein (1983), Perceived Social Support of Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet and Farley (1988), Coping Strategies with Stress of Endler and Parker (1990), and questionnaires of World Health Organization Quality of Life (1996). After deleting 26 invalid questionnaires and 11 missing data, data of 623 people were analyzed by structural equation modeling. The findings showed that structural pattern of the research with the collected data was desirable fit and perceived stress both directly and negatively (β= -0/328, P= 0.001). Also with mediating perceived social support (β= -0.151, P= 0.001), as well as problem-oriented strategies (β = -0.035, P= 0.005), emotion-oriented strategies (β= -0.182, P= 0.001) and avoidance style (β= -0.024, P= 0.007) is associated with the life quality of parents of ASD children. Since improving, the life quality of Iranian parents with ASD children has a significant effect on the rehabilitation and treatment interventions of their children, designs should be taken to educate effective coping strategies and also to properly parents' perceptions of supportive resources.