A qualitative study on perspective of parental stress and lower marital quality among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifetime neurodevelopmental condition. It affects not only the child but also the members of the family and parents particularly. The current study was qualitative in nature, designed to explore the experiences of parents, raising a child with ASD in Pakistan. The sample of the study comprised 15 mothers and 13 fathers of children with ASD. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data and five stages of stress and six major themes (Child management and diagnosis, Treatment and financial challenges, Social suffering, Emotional and psychological pain, Marital discord and Coping mechanism) emerged from the data. In the current study, parents of children with ASD reported lack of guidance, high fee demands, lack of awareness, family pressure, high level of stress and stigmatization. Parents also suffered from unbearable distress and marital discords including conflict, disharmony, lack of communication, and lack of spousal support. Parents deemed these challenges as never ending and it had a great impact on their wellbeing and on their abilities to cope or manage things in their daily life. This research project has wide implications in the fields of counseling psychology, educational psychology, and mental health.