RESILIENCE, PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT AND LOCUS OF CONTROL IN MOTHERS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM VS THOSE HAVING NORMAL CHILDREN

Abstract

The present study compared resilience, perceived social support and locus of control among mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and normal children. Comparative research design was used. Through purposive sampling, data werecollected from 200 mothers, having ASD (n=100) and normal (n=100) children. Children’s ageranged between 3-12 years (M=6.6;SD=2.4), 78%of the children were first born males. Participants were assessed through Resilience scale(Wagnild & Young,1993), Themultidimensional scale of perceived social support(Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet,& Farley, 1988), Locus of control scale(Rotter, 1966)and Demographic information sheet. The results showedsignificant differencesin resilience and locus of control inmothers of children with ASD and normal children. However, resilience and perceived social supportshowed non-significantdifferenceinboth groups. Results also showedsignificant relationship was foundbetween resilience and social support in both groups. These findings have clear implications for intervention for mothers of Children with ASDespecially through cognitive behaviouralmanagement. Future studies need to focus on parental counsellingespecially regarding the future plans of the child in the long term.