Social Support and Parenting Stress among Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Selangor

Abstract

Previous researchers had proved that parenting stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is significantly higher as compared to parents of children with typically developing (TD), and in other developmental disabilities. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the relationship between social support and parenting stress among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in Selangor. A total of 75 respondents participated in this study which has been identified through a purposive sampling technique from four autism centers in Selangor. The data for this study was collected by using a self-administered questionnaire. Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988) and Autism Parenting Stress Index (Silva & Schalock, 2012) were used to determine the relationship between social support and parenting stress. The findings revealed that social support has a negative correlation with parenting stress. It is proven that higher social support is important to reduce stress for parents of children with ASD. Thus, more efforts should be made to support this community.