Article Title: Spousal Rejection and Psychological Distress: Mediating Role of Behavioural Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Author(s): Lubna Hameed, Sultan Shujja & Mohsin Atta
Institute(s): Department of Psychology, University of Management and Technology, Lahore; Department of Psychology, University of Sargodha
Journal: Pakistan Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 2015, Vol. 13, No.1, 13-19
Correspondence Address: Sultan Shujja, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of management and Technology, Lahore, Pakistan; sultanshujja@gmail.com
Abstract
The study investigated mediating role of spousal perception of behavioural difficulties of children with ASD in relation to spousal rejection and psychological distress. For this purpose, thirty couples raising at least one child with ASD were purposively drawn from autism institutes in Lahore and Islamabad. Path analysis revealed that data fit in the theoretically proposed model specifically for wives but not for the husbands. Findings revealed that despite equal perception of behavioural difficulties of children with ASD, wives scored higher on depression and anxiety, and perceived their husbands’ as more rejecting. Spousal perception of children difficulties significantly accounted for the variance in relationship of spousal rejection with depression and anxiety among wives when wives’ age was statistically controlled.
Keywords: marital conflicts, behavioural anomalies, progressive developmental disorder, maternal depression
