Coping resources and stress due to demands in parents to children with autism spectrum disorder.

The study used cross-sectional self-report data and mediation analysis, so it cannot prove that demands, coping, or self-efficacy cause stress. The sample size was 266, and the paper states this can only identify effects above size .25; smaller effects would have needed much larger samples, such as N = 1.713 for an anticipated effect size of .1. Parents reported their own stress, demands, and coping, and the paper notes possible social acceptability bias, especially for substance use questions. The sample came from parents affiliated with autism therapy centers whose children had just started support, and no further inclusion or exclusion criteria were specified. Children ranged from 2 to 23 years and diagnoses varied, but ASD symptom severity was not captured, and mother-father differences were not considered. Only everyday demands related to raising the child with ASD were surveyed, not other household demands.

No funding or conflict-of-interest statement is provided in the supplied text. The paper says the data came from a German research project developed in cooperation with the German Autism Association and ten autism therapy centers.

Do not conclude that strengthening self-efficacy, functional coping, or social support will reduce parental stress. This cross-sectional survey did not test an intervention, and functional coping and social support did not significantly explain the link between demands and stress.