Marriage Satisfaction of Parents of Children with Autism.

Transcription

1 Dr Tomasz Gosztyła Faculty of Pedagogy, Deartment of Psychology University of Rzeszów Marriage Satisfaction of Parents of Children with Autism. Introductory Exloration of the Problem among Polish Married Coules Rearing Children with Autism Introduction According to various estimations in our times about 0.7 1% of children are diagnosed as the ones with autism sectrum disorder (Russell et al, 2014; Baxter et al, 2015). Such a diagnosis influences functioning of the whole family system and that s why there is a necessity for various secialists (sychologists, educationalists and social workers) to reflect uon and discuss assistance to be given to both ersons suffering from autism and their families (Russa, Matthews & Owen-DeSchryver, 2015; Derguy et al, 2015). While working out various forms of suort it is worth aying attention to quality of arents marital relationshi because it is of great imortance to functioning of the whole family. Initial researches raising this issue have already been conducted with articiation of married coules bringing u children with autism. However, the results obtained are ambiguous some resondents rearing autistic children indicate in their s or even ercentage of divorces by comarison with arents with healthy children whereas exeriences of other coules are quite different some coules are of oinion that bringing u a disabled child has reinforced their relationshi and brought them closer together (Hartley et al, 2010; Hock, Timm & Ramisch, 2012; Shtayermman, 2013; Johnson, 2012; Brobst, Cloton & Hendrick, 2009). Undoubtedly, care of an autistic child means an above-average bear to their arents and oftentimes uts esecially mothers under high stress (Altiere & von Kluge, 2009; Andreica-Săndică et al, 2011; Harer et al, 2013; Tehee, Honan & Hevey, 2009). A family with an autistic child exeriences stress than a family with a healthy or suffering from any other disorder child (Dąbrowska & Pisula, 2010; Bitsika, Sharley & Bell, 2013; Shobana & Saravanan, 2014) and arents rearing a child with autism may resent symtoms of deressive and anxiety disorder (Shtayermman, 2013; Bitsika, Sharley & Bell, 2013; Shobana & Saravanan, 2014), exhaustion or destroying their owers (Seymour et al, 2013) as well as health roblems (Benjak, Mavrinac & Simetin, 2009). At the same time it has been roved that high quality of conjugal relationshi between arents of children with autism belongs to key resources enabling smoothing out the imact of stress and ing the number of deression indicators (Kersh et al, 2006; Benson & Kersh, 2011). Nevertheless, number of researches exloring these issues in detail is rather small. More significant of them are resented below. J. Ramisch & E. Onaga (2014) analysed strategies used for maintaining and strengthening bonds among arents of children suffering from autism. They have found that key factors are here: communication with ISSN (24)2015 KWARTALNIK NAUKOWY

2 the souse and the married coule s shared (mutual) exectations regarding their as well as sending time with the husbands (in case of women). Research conducted by Harer et al (2013) has ointed out imortance of resite care to an autistic child because the care can relieve the child s arents and as a consequence their stress and imrove quality of their marital relationshi. It has been roved that both men and women derive from their s is linked with suort they receive from their artners (Ekas et al, 2015). Investigations carried out by Hartley et al (2012) have shown that mothers of autistic children can get from their s may be influenced by incomes their families are on, too. Subjectively felt marital, communication with the souse, exectations bound u with the, financial situation and religiousness of a married coule are imortant asects of each marital relationshi (Willoughby, 2015; Dakowicz, 2014; Feeney, 1994, David & Stafford, 2015; Carroll et al, 2013; Dakin & Wamler, 2008). So far, research conducted with articiation of arents of children with autism has never taken into consideration all the above mentioned dimensions together; system investigations erformed with articiation of married coules, not only individual arents searately, are also rare. It would also be interesting to comare in detail both married coules bringing u autistic children with the ones who have healthy children aying secial attention to the quality (autism is a strain thereby constituting a challenge that influences relationshi between husband and wife) and arents rearing disabled children only (there are different ways you can meet the challenge). This aer is an attemt to fill this ga. Research rocedure Purose of the research described below was to find answers to the following questions: How much contentment () do arents rearing children with autism derive from their s? What are exectations in of arents of children with autism? Do married coules who bring u children with autism differ in these resects from coules with healthy children and if so what are the differences? Is the arents of autistic children get from their s linked with their sex, family s financial situation, suort they receive (institutional or informal), quality of their conjugal communication and finally with their religiousness? Question ut to the surveyed resondents are based on the knowledge to date (as referred in section Introduction above) and constitute an attemt to fill the existing gas. F I D E S E T R A T I O Strona 229

3 Resondents Resondents were eole who had been living in south-eastern areas of Poland. Every single time married coules were surveyed. Pollsters reached arents who had brought u at least one child diagnosed as an autistic one through secialised educational institutions as well as centres and associations rendering theray services to our resondents children. In turn, arents rearing healthy children were reached through ublic kindergartens and schools. Every single time before we started the research, ollsters had first asked management of a given institution enabling us to meet our otential resondents and next a married coule itself for their ermission to conduct the oll. The olls were confidential. After incomlete or incorrectly filled u sets of questionnaires had been rejected (several dozen cases among both arents with disabled children and coules rearing healthy ones), data and information given by 50 married coules with healthy children (i.e. 100 ersons) and 53 coules (106 ersons) rearing children with autism were qualified for statistical analyses. Research tools The following research tools were used: 1. Well-Matched Coule Questionnaire (WMCQ-2) by M. Ploa & J. Rostowski this tool was used for evaluating a marital degree. It includes the following asects of being contented in : Intimacy (i.e. close relationshi between a married coule, belief that both souses love each other); Self-realisation (ercetion of as a relationshi enabling each artner to realise themselves and in consequence an imortant art of satisfying life); Resemblance (an extent of unanimity among husband and wife relating to imortant aims in their and family life, e.g. leisure, develoing their matrimony, family tradition, rearing children, family life organisation) and Disaointment (belief that living in the matrimony restricts to a certain degree the sense of indeendence and autonomy or the souse is trying to renege on and escae from the relationshi and does not want to take resonsibility for it). Detailed descrition of sychometric features of the tool: accuracy of the asects (from 0.80 to 0.90), ower of discriminatory osition (0.38 u to 0.75) and theoretical correctness of the questionnaire was resented in the M. Ploa s ublication (2008). 2. Scale of Success in Marriage (SSM) by M. Braun-Gałkowska this tool was used in order to carry out a qualitative analysis of contentment and diagnose exectations in. The scale consists of two lists, each of them contains 46 items (both lists contain the same items) concerning various conditions of success in. On one of lists a resondent indicates qualities characterising their (SSM I) and on the other one features that in their oinion are most imortant in order to cause the to be fulfilling and hay (SSM II). Accuracy of the tool was checked using the retesting method, it was within the range 0.95 Pearson s r Detailed information about sychometric features of the tool (mainly accuracy) was resented in the M. Braun-Gałkowska s ublication (2007). ISSN (24)2015 KWARTALNIK NAUKOWY

4 3. Conjugal Communication Questionnaire (CCQ) by M. Ploa & M. Kaźmierczak this tool serves to examine communication behaviours towards the souse. The questionnaire consists of two forms: the urose of the first of them is to araise one of the souses own behaviour, the other one is used for araising behaviour of the other souse. Each form contains 30 items, both of them serve to examine three main asects of conjugal communication: Suort (areciating the souse s efforts, interest in his or her roblems and readiness to solve them jointly); Involvement (showing feelings to each other and talking about them, aiming for a comromise and harmony) and Dereciation (criticism, unleasant comments, controlling the souse and aggression towards him or her). The surveyed erson takes a stance on each of statements basing on a scale of 1 to 5. Detailed descrition of sychometric features of the tool: accuracy of the asects (from 0.77 to 0.93), ower of discriminatory osition (0.25 u to 0.81) and theoretical correctness of the questionnaire was resented in the M. Ploa s ublication (2008). 4. The Personal Religiousness Scale (PRS) exlained by R. Jaworski (1989) was emloyed in order to evaluate both a level and a tye of a married coule s religiousness. The PRS covers 30 statements and includes four asects: Faith (F) i.e. strength of a relationshi with God treated as the Being that gives meaning to human s life; Morality (M) an asect determining the extent of comliance between moral behaviour of an individual and their religious beliefs; Religious ractices (RP) means a level of an involvement in the relation with God through rayer, contemlation, broadening knowledge of God and Religious ego (RE) means the extent of feeling closeness to God and a sense of ride in being a Christian. The surveyed erson was to indicate on a scale of 1 to 7 a degree of comliance between their beliefs and meaning of individual statements. A measure of an extent of ersonal commitment to the religious relationshi is defined as the sum of weights (numerical coefficients) calculated by adding all weights related to categories of answers. The maximum score 210 oints means highly ersonal religiousness. The lowest score 30 oints indicates imersonal religiousness. Accuracy of the tool was checked using the retesting method, for individual answers to questions and statements it was within the range 0.69 Searman s rho Verification of theoretical accuracy was resented in details in R. Jaworski s works (1989; 1998). 5. There was also used a self-reared questionnaire containing questions about arent s sex, age of autistic child and how did husband and wife araise their financial and occuational situation as well as suort they had received. Results Marriage duration among arents rearing autistic children was between 3 and 37 years with a median of 14 years. Age of an autistic child was between 2 and 20 years, the median was 7 years. Marriage duration among arents with healthy children was between 1 and 29 years, the median was In Table 1 number of children of arents reresenting both grous is given, Table 2 shows information on the surveyed coules occuational situations. F I D E S E T R A T I O Strona 231

5 Table 1. Number of children in a family Married coule one two three four and more N % N % N % N % with a healthy child with an autistic child In both grous of surveyed resondents a ercentage of coules with 2 children exceeded 50%. In general, roortional reresentation of resondents with a certain number of children was similar in both grous. Table 2. Occuational situation of the surveyed coules Married coule Both souses work Only husband works Only wife works Both souses do not work N % N % N % N % with a healthy child with an autistic child Among the grou with healthy children a ercentage of emloyed coules where both souses had been working rofessionally was 74% and it was more than among coules with autistic children where only 47.2% of airs had been emloyed. Data on subjective araisals of the surveyed families financial situations are resented in Tables 3 and 4. Table 3. Subjective araisal of the family s financial situation (men s answers) Married coule bad average good very good N % N % N % N % with a healthy child with an autistic child Table 4. Subjective araisal of the family s financial situation (women s answers) Married coule bad average good very good N % N % N % N % with a healthy child with an autistic child Comared with arents with autistic children both men and women bringing u healthy children araised their financial situation as a better one. ISSN (24)2015 KWARTALNIK NAUKOWY

6 Tables 5 and 6 resent data gathered together in the Well-Matched Coule Questionnaire (WMCQ-2) and based on relies rovided by women and men bringing u healthy children and those rearing children with autism. Table 5. Results obtained from the Well-Matched Coule Questionnaire (WMCQ-2) based on relies rovided by women bringing u healthy and autistic children WMCQ-2 Grou Mean Intimacy Disaointment Self-realisation Resemblance Total score Standard deviation healthy children one or more autistic children healthy children one or more autistic children healthy children one or more autistic children healthy children one or more autistic children healthy children one or more autistic children t ins ins Presented in the WMCQ-2 total score obtained by mothers of one or more autistic children is significantly. As you can see this grou, comared with mothers of healthy children, demonstrates marital (considering sten scores a mean score obtained from mothers of healthy children was rated within the range of five which is interreted as an average result, however, the one obtained from autistic children s mothers was about four which is considered to be a low outcome). As for outcomes concerning individual scales, among mothers of children with autism scores related to Intimacy and Resemblance were found. Comared with women reresenting the reference grou, mothers of autistic children felt weaker closeness to their husbands as well as sense of mutual love and declared inferior harmony between husband and wife related to imortant marital and family issues. F I D E S E T R A T I O Strona 233

7 Table 6. Data gathered together in the Well-Matched Coule Questionnaire (WMCQ-2) based on relies of men bringing u healthy and autistic children WMCQ-2 Grou Mean Intimacy Disaointment Self-realisation Resemblance Total score Standard deviation healthy children one or more autistic children healthy children one or more autistic children healthy children one or more autistic children healthy children one or more autistic children healthy children one or more autistic children t ins ins ins As for total score resented in the WMCQ-2, a statistically significant difference concerns men, too. Like mothers, fathers of one or more autistic children comared with fathers of healthy children obtained significantly average total score. This fact roves that among this grou in was (considering sten scores a mean score obtained from fathers of healthy children was rated within the range of five which is interreted as an average result, however, the one obtained from autistic children s fathers was about four which is considered to be a low outcome). Another statistically significant difference relates to the Resemblance scale. Comared with fathers of healthy children, fathers of children with autism declared inferior between husband and wife related to imortant marital and family issues. Unlike women, men rearing autistic children and the ones bringing u healthy children dislayed no differences related to Intimacy. Use of a scale of success in enabled to exlore ersonality traits that in oinion of the surveyed wives and husbands rearing autistic children and the ones with healthy children characterise one s own and a successful. Results are resented in Tables 7 to 10 below. ISSN (24)2015 KWARTALNIK NAUKOWY

8 Table 7. Comarison of oinions on traits characterising their own s exressed by women rearing healthy children to the ones given by women with autistic children Traits characterising the artners own Mothers of healthy children Mothers of autistic children N % N % Pearson s chisquared test Similar bearing Positive araisal of the souse Cheerful disosition of both souses Sending leisure together Both souses sense of resonsibility Heling each other in difficult times Mutual faithfulness Both souses yearning to change for the better Maintaining own sexual attraction in the souse s eyes Mutual concern for the souse Equal rights in Physical health of both souses Similar intellectual level Mothers of autistic children significantly more rarely declared that their had been characterised by similar bearing, ositive araisal of the souse, cheerful disosition of both husband and wife, sending leisure together, both souses sense of resonsibility, heling each other in difficult times, mutual faithfulness, both souses yearning to change for the better, maintaining by both souses their own sexual attraction in the souse s eyes, mutual concern for the souse, equal rights in, hysical health of both husband and wife and similar intellectual level. Table 8. Comarison of oinions on traits characterising a successful exressed by women rearing healthy children to the ones given by women with autistic children Traits characterising a successful Mothers of healthy children Mothers of autistic children N % N % Pearson s chisquared test Mutual confidence Mutual understanding Selflessness of both souses Heling each other in difficult times Mutual faithfulness Mutual resect F I D E S E T R A T I O Strona 235

9 Mothers of autistic children dislayed exectations in than mothers of healthy children. From statistical oint of view they significantly more rarely ointed out the following traits as the ones of imortance to marital : mutual confidence, mutual understanding, selflessness of both souses, heling each other in difficult times as well as mutual faithfulness and resect. Table 9. Comarison of oinions on traits characterising their own s exressed by men rearing healthy children to the ones given by men with autistic children Traits characterising the artners own Fathers of healthy children Fathers of autistic children N % N % Pearson s chisquared test Mutual love Mutual confidence Positive araisal of the souse Sending leisure together Heling each other in difficult times Mutual faithfulness Both souses yearning to change for the better Showing love to each other Mutual resect Mutual concern for the souse Making decisions together Fathers of autistic children significantly more rarely declared that their had been characterised by traits like: mutual love, mutual confidence, ositive araisal of the souse, sending leisure time together, heling each other in difficult times, mutual faithfulness, yearning to change for the better declared by both souses, showing love to each other, mutual resect, mutual concern for the souse and making decisions together. Table 10. Comarison of oinions on traits characterising a successful exressed by men rearing healthy children to the ones given by men with autistic children Traits characterising a successful Fathers of healthy children Fathers of autistic children N % N % Pearson s chisquared test Mutual love Sending leisure together Personalities comlementing each other Mutual faithfulness Showing love to each other Physical health of both souses ISSN (24)2015 KWARTALNIK NAUKOWY

10 Like mothers, fathers of autistic children dislayed exectations in than fathers of healthy children. They significantly more rarely ointed out such conditions of marital like: mutual love, sending leisure time together, mutual faithfulness, showing love to each other and hysical health of both souses. Moreover, fathers of autistic children more often mentioned ersonalities comlementing each other as a trait characterising a successful. Due to the fact that existence of a child disorder does not determine quality of a relationshi between their arents, as a next ste married coules rearing at least one child with autism were divided into two grous: a grou of coules declaring and the one declaring in. The criterion was a general result obtained from WMCQ-2 and gained by husband and wife. Married coules where women and men acquired in the WMCQ-2 questionnaire a total result than the median (calculated for women and men searately) were recognised as the ones deriving from their s. Analogically, married coules where women and men acquired in the WMCQ-2 questionnaire a total result than the median were recognised as the ones deriving from their s. As to results obtained from the WMCQ-2 the median was 122 among women and 123 among men. Parents declaring various degrees of their in differed from each other in their oinions on many significant traits characterising their s. Results are resented in Tables 11 and 12 below. Table 11a. Comarison of oinions on traits characterising their own s exressed by autistic children s mothers declaring diverse degrees of Traits characterising the artners own Lower Higher Pearson s chisquared N % N % test Similar outlook on the world Mutual love Economy of both souses Doing the housework together Mutual understanding Positive araisal of the souse Sending leisure together None souse dislays egoism Selflessness of both souses Heling each other in difficult times Personalities comlementing each other Mutual sense of security None souse abuses alcohol F I D E S E T R A T I O Strona 237

11 Table 11b. Comarison of oinions on traits characterising their own s exressed by autistic children s mothers declaring diverse degrees of Traits characterising the artners own Lower Higher Pearson s chisquared N % N % test Mutual faithfulness Both souses knowledge of living in a Bringing u children together Showing love to each other Mutual concern for the souse Equal rights in Making decisions together Ability to forgive each other Both souses serious attitude to life Table 12a. Comarison of oinions on traits characterising their own s exressed by autistic children s fathers declaring diverse degrees of Traits characterising the artners own Lower Higher Pearson s chisquared N % N % test Mutual confidence Good relationshis with the souse s family Hay sexual relationshi Doing the housework together Positive araisal of the souse Cheerful disosition of both souses Getting to know each other well before Heling each other in difficult times Both souses knowledge of living in a Both souses yearning to change for the better Showing love to each other Comosure of both souses Maintaining own sexual attraction in the souse s eyes ISSN (24)2015 KWARTALNIK NAUKOWY

12 Table 12b. Comarison of oinions on traits characterising their own s exressed by autistic children s fathers declaring diverse degrees of Traits characterising the artners own Lower Higher Pearson s chisquared N % N % test Mutual concern for the souse Equal rights in Making decisions together Sexual exerience before Ability to forgive each other Both souses serious attitude to life Comarison between traits characterising a and declared by arents of children with autism enabled to reveal a number of differences between coules exeriencing various degrees of in. The said differences regard first of all mutual closeness, concern and hel because coules satisfied in their marital relationshis list these traits most often. It is worth noting that fathers of autistic children more content with their s quite often mention fulfilling sexual intercourse and maintaining sexual attraction as factors imortant for them (this difference was not found among mothers). In Tables 13 and 14 results gathered in the Conjugal Communication Questionnaire (CCQ) and based on answers given by arents of autistic children declaring diverse degrees of marital are resented. Table 13a. Results gathered in the Conjugal Communication Questionnaire (CCQ) and based on answers of autistic children s mothers declaring diverse degrees of CCQ scale Grou Average range Suort behaviour) (own Involvement (own behaviour) Dereciation (own behaviour) Mann-Whitney U test Z ins ins. F I D E S E T R A T I O Strona 239

13 Table 13b. Results gathered in the Conjugal Communication Questionnaire (CCQ) and based on answers of autistic children s mothers declaring diverse degrees of CCQ scale Grou Average range Suort (husband s behaviour) Involvement (husband s behaviour) Dereciation (husband s behaviour) Mann-Whitney U test Z Mothers of autistic children exeriencing in their marital relationshis, when asked about their own communication behaviour, declared degree of suort. However their oinions on communication behaviours of their husbands revealed statistically significant differences related to all asects mothers more satisfied in their s reorted their husbands behaviours had been characterised by suort and involvement and dereciation. Table 14a. Results gathered in the Conjugal Communication Questionnaire (CCQ) and based on answers of autistic children s fathers declaring diverse degrees of CCQ scale Grou Average range Suort (own behaviour) Involvement (own behaviour) Dereciation (own behaviour) Mann-Whitney U test Z ISSN (24)2015 KWARTALNIK NAUKOWY

14 Table 14b. Results gathered in the Conjugal Communication Questionnaire (CCQ) and based on answers of autistic children s fathers declaring diverse degrees of CCQ scale Grou Average range Suort (wife s behaviour) Involvement (wife s behaviour) Dereciation (wife s behaviour) Mann-Whitney U test Z As regards fathers of children with autism declaring diverse in their marital relationshis, statistically significant differences related to all asects of the CCQ. Fathers more satisfied with their s reorted their own and their wives behaviours had been more suortive, less dereciative and characterised by involvement. In Tables 15 and 16 are resented results gathered in the Personal Religiousness Scale (PRS) and based on answers given by arents of autistic children rated among two grous declaring diverse degrees of marital. Table 15a. Results concerning the Personal Religiousness Scale (PRS) based on answers of autistic children s mothers declaring diverse degrees of PRS Grou Average range Faith Morality Religious ractices Mann-Whitney U test Z ins F I D E S E T R A T I O Strona 241

15 Table 15b. Results concerning the Personal Religiousness Scale (PRS) based on answers of autistic children s mothers declaring diverse degrees of PRS Grou Average range Religious ego Total score Mann-Whitney U test Z Mothers of autistic children exeriencing in their s obtained on the Personal Religiousness Scale a significantly score. Leaving aside the total score statistically significant differences related to the following asects: Faith, Religious ractices and Religious ego were found. Scores related to each of these asects and obtained by women more satisfied with their s were. Table 16. Results concerning the Personal Religiousness Scale (PRS) based on answers of autistic children s fathers declaring diverse degrees of PRS Grou Average range Faith Morality Religious ractices Religious ego Total score Mann-Whitney U test Z ins ISSN (24)2015 KWARTALNIK NAUKOWY

16 Similarly to women, fathers of children with autism declaring in their s obtained a total score on the Personal Religiousness Scale. As regards individual asects of the Personal Religiousness Scale scores related to Morality, Religious ractices and Religious ego were. As regards occuational situations of married coules, araisal of their families financial conditions or oinions on kindergartens or schools their children had attended (if the kindergartens or schools had met the children s needs or if secialists care of children had been satisfactory) no statistically significant differences between coules with at least one autistic child declaring or the ones declaring were found. Discussion (1) It is obvious that stable and satisfactory relationshi between arents constitutes conditions favourable to suorting develoment of a child with autism. Research described herein has demonstrated that of mothers and fathers of autistic children is than the one of arents bringing u healthy children. This finding roves a need for suorting coules whose children suffer from this disorder. They can be suorted in form of counselling or (as the case may be) marital theray (Johnson, 2012). Findings of this research can be of hel to secialists working with families rearing children with autism. (2) It has been found that marital exectations among arents with autistic children are. It is ossible this state of affairs is a result of erceiving the birth of a child with autism as a kind of defeat (ersonal but also relational). E. Cae et al (2011) imly that as early as diagnosis is made autism should be resented to the arents as a challenge because coules who interret this exerience as a danger or loss manage it definitely worse. So, one should always take into account, this may be the case. Because of this, while suorting a family it is worth creating together with the souses and at each stage of family life a constructive and task-based ercetion of the roblem (Ramisch, 2012). (3) Among surveyed resondents there were 41.5% of married coules where only husband had worked rofessionally. This may create a risk of establishing an inflexible family structure: mother as the main (or even sole) carer of the child and father as a erson who sends most of his time outside the home and rovides for the family. Such a attern of family life, even though it may be a temorary necessity, can over the course of time cause that the woman who stays at home with her disabled child feels lonely (Zimmerman, 2000). The ossibility of both arents develoing individually offers a feeling of control over each souse s own life and favours attaining gratifications in many areas. Such a ossibility should be available to the same degree to both souses although because of family duties they robably will take advantage of it in turns. Periods of increased individual activity of a woman can alternate with eriods when she focuses her mind on her family while her husband realises his individual develomental lans. F I D E S E T R A T I O Strona 243

17 (4) The research revealed a shortage of communicated suort among airs rearing children with autism 1. It relates esecially to men; moreover, other research (Jensen, Rauer & Volling, 2013) has roven that communicating suort by husband is of substantial imortance to the quality of marital relationshis. Besides communication, the sexual relationshi is another source of strengthening bonds because it allows to share love and sensual leasure with the artner. It is worth emhasizing that comared with men less satisfied in fathers of autistic children declaring in were more content with their sexual life. Time you can dedicate to your artner only is a very imortant factor that favours strengthening marital bonds basing on both communication and sexuality. It is often imossible without the hel of eole around you who take over care of the child. That s why circle of eole you live among enables you not only to maintain social relationshis with ersons from outside your family but can also hel you to develo your marital relationshis (Abelson, 1999). (5) Obtained results indicate that there is a connection between religiousness 2 of arents of children diagnosed with autism and quality of. Religiousness can be an imortant resource to be used by arents (Coulthard & Fitzgerald, 1999). It has been roved that use of ositive religious strategies is linked with a number of deression indicators and stress mothers of autistic children are exosed to (Ekas, Whitman & Shivers, 2009). It is also a source of hoe and sense (Tarakeshwar & Pargament, 2001). Furthermore, one may assume that a sense of stability based on erceiving as an inextricable relationshi (which is a religious rule) is an additional incentive motivating the souses to cooerate and work together so as to look actively for solutions in difficult situations. Taking these determinants into account, it can be recommended that secial astoral care should be rovided for the autistic children s arents who consider themselves to be eole believing in God. (6) The most imortant ersonality traits characterising coules rearing children with autism and declaring marital were: sending time together; constructive, suorting and distinguished by involvement communication; shared vision of and exectations related to ; hay sexual life and maintaining own sexual attraction in the souse s eyes; equal rights and doing the housework together (flexible structure of the family) and finally ersonal religious relationshi. Occuational and financial situation of the surveyed coules was similar; their araisals of educational and theraeutic suort they had received were similar, too. One can reach a conclusion that besides religiousness (that can be the case but does not have to) issues related directly to the souses relationshi are of fundamental imortance to quality of of arents bringing u a child with autism (or as it can be assumed with other disorders or chronic diseases) and these issues can interest a sychologist or a theraist suorting families with autism. So, it is worth erceiving them in the context of circular family relations working in favour of any of the said asects (e.g. communication in ) will enhance the other ones (e.g. sexuality, shared vision of, etc.) imroving gradually the quality. 1 Detailed analyses concerning communication between surveyed arents of autistic children will be resented in a searate aer. 2 More detailed analyses concerning religiousness of arents of autistic children will be ublished in a searate aer. ISSN (24)2015 KWARTALNIK NAUKOWY

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