Parent stress and coping trajectories in Hispanic and non-Hispanic families of children at risk of autism spectrum disorder.
Emily J Hickey, Michelle Stransky, Jocelyn Kuhn and 5 others
PMID 33908306WHAT IT FOUND
Hispanic parents reported lower general parenting stress and family impact than non-Hispanic parents during the autism diagnostic process, but autism-specific stress was similar.
Non-Hispanic families showed more positive change in coping and impact over time.
Key findings
01Hispanic families reported lower average parenting stress, avoidant coping, approach coping, and negative family impact across four time points compared to non-Hispanic families.
02There were no significant differences between Hispanic and non-Hispanic families in autism-specific parenting stress.
03Non-Hispanic families reported more positive change in both avoidant and approach coping, and negative family impact across the four time points than Hispanic families.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study cannot determine causation or the pathways linking stress, coping, and family impact. The measures used (e.g., PSI-SF, Brief COPE) may not be culturally valid for Hispanic families, potentially misinterpreting how stress and coping are experienced or reported. The non-Hispanic group was predominantly Black (almost 80%), while the Hispanic group was only 8% Black, confounding ethnicity with race and potentially reflecting experiences of structural racism rather than cultural differences. The study focused on low-income, urban families, so findings may not generalize to other socioeconomic or geographic groups.
Declared interests
The study was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (N.I.H., Extramural) and the U.S. Public Health Service (P.H.S.). No other conflicts of interest were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that lower reported general stress in Hispanic families indicates a lack of distress or need for support. The similarity in autism-specific stress suggests the burden of the child's condition is comparable, and the lower general stress may reflect cultural differences in reporting or coping rather than an absence of challenge.