Stress in UK families conducting intensive home-based behavioral intervention for their young child with autism

There is increasing international interest in intensive home-based behavioral intervention for children with autism. In the present study, 141 UK parents conducting such interventions completed a questionnaire addressing issues of stress, coping, and support. Regression analyses showed that parents' stress levels were predicted mainly by psychological rather than demographic variables. In particular, adaptive coping strategies, informal social support sources, and beliefs about the efficacy of the intervention were associated with lower reported stress and higher levels of autism symptomatology were associated with higher reported stress. There was also evidence that the use of Passive Appraisal coping and beliefs about the efficacy of the interventions moderated the effects of autism symptomatology on parents' pessimism. Implications of these findings for future research and for the support of families engaged in intensive home-based behavioral intervention are discussed.