Date

8-9-2024

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Education in Community Care and Counseling (EdD)

Chair

D. Kristen Small

Keywords

autism spectrum disorder (ASD), faith, enduring marriage, parenting, social support, stress

Disciplines

Counseling

Abstract

The purpose of this transcendental phenomenological study is to understand the challenges facing couples who have been married for more than 18 years, and whose autistic child is now a young adult. It seeks to describe how the couples have overcome their trials. In addition, this study will investigate the dimensions along which the couple and the family are affected by the autistic family member. Parents raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a higher propensity than parents of neurotypical children to report worry, anxiety, stress, and depression, burdened as they are with the behavioral and social challenges of the child. These negative emotions can cause a disruption to the family system and the marital relationship. The theory guiding this study is Olson’s circumplex model of marital and family systems, as it incorporates the family’s unity, the family’s flexibility in times of change, and the functionality of the communication of the marital and family systems. The shared experience of raising a child with ASD takes a different toll on each partner but can lead to the same physical and mental health problems for the mother and father. The impact of managing a child with autism propagates into anxiety and stress, which leads to depression when parents are depleted of coping skills and sources of support. The never-ending adjustments that need to be made as the child becomes a young adult increase the tension experienced by the parents, which continues to jeopardize the marriage. Faith-based coping skills can positively affect the parenting and marital experience.

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