The enhancement of community integration: Coping strategies of Chinese parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

This study presents a collaborative research project by school psychologists and educators in Hong Kong. It investigated the coping strategies used by Chinese parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders ( N = 380) to enhance their children’s community integration and how these strategies were related to their perceptions of community integration and willingness to engage their children in community activities. A factor analysis of questionnaire responses revealed three clusters of coping strategies: Constructive, avoidant, and confrontational strategies. Parents’ willingness to engage their children in community activities was predicted positively by their use of constructive strategies but negatively by their use of avoidant strategies. Confrontational strategies had no predictive power. Parents who used constructive strategies often tended to report more positive emotions and perceive greater importance for engaging their children in community activities.