Self-compassion, ego-resiliency, coping with stress and the quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

Background. The literature shows a fairly coherent picture of the types of difficulties parents face. Adaptive both coping styles and resources, such as self-compassion and ego-resiliency, indicated as important predictors of the quality of life among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. The aim of the study was to determine the links between self-compassion and ego-resiliency, coping with stress and quality of life among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in a Polish sample (N = 76). Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted. The CISS, Self-Compassion Scale-Short, Ego-Resiliency Scale, and Quality of Life Questionnaire were used. Results. Regression analysis was carried out to address the research question. It was confirmed that both resources studied exhibited negative relations with emotion-oriented coping, while ego-resiliency was also positively correlated with task- and avoidance-oriented strategies. The hierarchical multiple regression conducted in three steps indicated that ego-resiliency (18%) and emotion-oriented (14%) were the strongest predictors of quality of life among parents of children with ASD. Conclusions. The obtained results proved that ego-resiliency and a task-oriented coping strategy were important indicators of the quality of life of parents of children with ASD.