TTLV: Stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in Thanh Hoa province

1. Student's full name: Nguyen Thi Hau 2. Gender: Female
3. Date of birth: April 8, 1996 4. Place of birth: Thanh Hoa
5. Decision on recognition of students No. 2948/2021/QD-XHNV dated December 28, 2021 of the President of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
6. Changes in the training process:
1st extension: From November 16, 2023 to May 13, 2024
2nd Extension: From May 13, 2024 to November 11, 2024
7. Thesis topic: Stress in parents with children with autism spectrum disorder in Thanh Hoa province
8. Major: Psychology; Code: 8310401.01
9. Scientific supervisor: Dr. Nguyen Hanh Lien works at the Department of Psychology, University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi
10. Summary of thesis results:
Urgency of the research problem
Most children, after being diagnosed with ASD, parents will fall into a state of panic and anxiety. They do not believe that their child has this syndrome. When their child's problem is accepted, they begin to worry about everything such as eating, education, communication, social function, integration ability... They worry about how to get early intervention, proper intervention, and what is the best educational environment for their child.
Continuous and prolonged stress and fatigue can negatively affect the psychology, health, physical and mental health, causing many metabolic disorders in the body, increasing the concentration of "cholesterol" in the blood, leading to cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, dystrophy, digestive disorders, gastric bleeding, headaches, abdominal pain, back pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, sadness, menstrual disorders... The unmet mental health care needs of parents with children with autism spectrum disorders will hinder the family's adaptation activities as well as the ability to receive intervention and support for children with autism spectrum disorders (Catalano et al., 2018).
For the above reasons, the topic "stress in parents with children with autism spectrum disorder" was chosen to study to clarify the manifestations and factors causing stress in parents with children with autism spectrum disorder.
Stress
Based on the research on the concept, we use the concept of stress in this thesis, specifically as follows: stress is a state of psychological tension that appears when people have to face difficult situations that are physically and mentally threatening or one of the two, exceeding the resources and ability to cope of people. These difficult situations are often complex, unexpected and sometimes dangerous that people do not have a solution or are stuck on a solution.
Proposed research model
Factors causing stress in parents of children with ASD include: Factors related to the child's characteristics (communication, social interaction and stereotyped behavior); factors related to the parents themselves (demographic characteristics, parents' awareness of ASD and proficiency in support skills), and other external factors (family, community, society). Manifestations of stress in parents of children with ASD include: emotions, cognition, behavior, and physicality.
Research methods
The methods are used synchronously and in combination with each other, specifically as follows: questionnaire survey, in-depth interviews and data analysis.
Research results
Through research on the current state of stress in parents with children with autism spectrum disorder in Thanh Hoa province, it shows that:
Most parents show signs of stress in four areas: emotional, cognitive, physical, and behavioral, with the highest expression being emotional.
Factors including factors related to the child's characteristics, factors related to the parent himself, and other external factors all cause stress in parents.
Parents use both positive and negative coping strategies, mainly positive coping strategies. If parents use less negative coping strategies, their stress will decrease, and conversely, if parents use more negative coping strategies, their stress will increase.
Most parents want support from family, society and experts, in which the need for advice and problem solving support from experts is unanimously given top priority by parents.
The proposed measures to support the reduction of stress in parents of children with ASD that the topic proposes are completely based on theory and practice. These measures include: Group of educational and psychological measures, group of measures to build supportive conditions and group of social policy measures.
The survey results show that the proposed measures to support and reduce stress in parents with children with autism spectrum disorder in Thanh Hoa province are necessary and feasible. To contribute to supporting and reducing stress in parents with children with autism spectrum disorder in Thanh Hoa province and to improve the quality of life of families, it is necessary to combine the above measures, not taking any measures lightly with the support of the community, support from experts and society.
Conclude
In our study on stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in Thanh Hoa province, we analyzed and evaluated a series of factors that affect parents' stress. From parents' awareness and skills to family and community support, all play an important role in determining the level of stress they face.
The research results have shown that stress in parents of children with ASD in Thanh Hoa is a common and multidimensional problem. The necessity and feasibility of support measures have been identified, from providing information and coping skills to parents to building a support network from family and community. With the results of the current research presented above, it can be affirmed that the researcher has completed the research task as well as proven the research hypothesis.
Basic keywords
Stress, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Psychological Support
11. Practical application:
On the current state of stress in parents with children with autism spectrum disorder
Stress manifestations in parents of children with ASD are in four aspects: emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral, in which the most frequent stress manifestations are emotional, followed by cognitive, then physical and finally behavioral.
Factors causing stress in parents with children with ASD are divided into three groups including factors related to the child's characteristics, factors related to the parents themselves, and other external factors from the family, community, and society. Among them, factors including the proficiency in stress-supporting skills and the number of children with ASD in the family affect the level of stress expression in parents.
Parents' stress coping includes negative and positive coping methods, in which parents mainly use positive coping methods. The more negative coping methods, the more stressed parents are, and vice versa, the less or no negative coping methods parents use, the less stressed they are.
Parents have different support needs from family, society and experts, in which parents are most concerned about the need for experts to guide and advise on how to solve their children's problems.
On measures to support stress reduction in parents of children with ASD
Based on the results of the current situation research, we have developed support measures including a group of measures: Education - psychology, a group of measures to build support conditions and a group of social policy measures. The survey results show that the measures are urgent and highly feasible and have a close correlation with each other.
With the research results presented above, it can be affirmed that the researcher has completed the research task as well as proven the research hypothesis.
12. Further research directions:
Based on the research results in this thesis, in the coming time, the author will continue to research and develop issues related to parental stress in inclusive education for autistic children.
 

1. Full name: Nguyen Thi Hau 2. Sex: Female
3. Date of birth: April 8, 1996 4. Place of birth: Thanh Hoa
5. Admission decision number: 2948/2021/QD-XHNV, Dated: December 28, 2021
6. Changes in academic process:
Extension 1: From November 16, 2023 to May 13, 2024
Extension 2: From May 13, 2024 to November 11, 2024

7. Official thesis title: Stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in Thanh Hoa
8. Major: Psychology
9. Code: 8310401.01
10. Supervisors: Doctor Nguyen Hanh Lien, Faculty of Psychology. University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi
11. Summary of the findings of the thesis:
The Urgency of the Research Issue
Most parents, after their child is diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), experience feelings of confusion and anxiety. They initially cannot believe that their child has this condition. Once they accept their child's challenges, they start worrying about everything related to the child, including nutrition, education, communication, social functioning, and integration skills. They wonder how to ensure early intervention, appropriate intervention, and identify the best educational environment for their child.
Continuous and prolonged stress can negatively impact parents' mental and physical health, potentially leading to various internal metabolic disorders, raising blood cholesterol levels, and resulting in cardiovascular disease, hypertension, malnutrition, digestive disorders, gastric bleeding, headaches, abdominal pain, back pain, insomnia, depression, anxiety, sadness, and menstrual disorders. When the psychological health needs of parents with children on the autism spectrum are unmet, it can hinder family adaptation and limit the intervention and support opportunities available for children with autism (Catalano et al., 2018).
For these reasons, the study titled "Stress in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder" was chosen to clarify the manifestations and factors causing stress in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder.
Stress
Based on studies on the concept, we define stress in this research as follows: stress is a psychological state of tension that arises when an individual faces challenging situations that pose physical, mental, or combined threats, which exceed their resources and coping abilities. These challenging situations are often complex, unexpected, and sometimes dangerous, with solutions that may be unavailable or blocked.
Proposed Research Model
Factors Causing Stress in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
The stress-inducing factors for parents with children diagnosed with ASD include:
Child-related factors (such as communication, social interaction, and behavioral patterns);
Parent-related factors (such as demographic characteristics, parents' understanding of ASD, and proficiency in support skills);
External factors (family, community, and society).
Manifestations of Stress in Parents with Children with ASD
Stress manifestations in these parents include emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and physical aspects.
Research Methodology
The study employs a combination of methods, including questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and data analysis.
Research Findings
The study on stress among parents of children with ASD in Thanh Hoa province revealed that:
Most parents experience stress across four dimensions: emotional, cognitive, physical, and behavioral, with emotional stress being the most prevalent.
Stress is caused by child-related factors, parent-related factors, and other external factors.
Parents adopt both positive and negative coping strategies, predominantly positive strategies. When parents rely less on negative coping strategies, their stress levels decrease, whereas increased use of negative coping strategies intensifies stress.
Support Needs
Most parents express a desire for support from family, society, and professionals, with the primary need being professional consultation and assistance in resolving their child's issues.
Proposed Support Measures
The study proposes several support measures to reduce stress in parents of children with ASD, grounded in both theoretical and practical foundations. These include educational and psychological measures, measures to establish supportive conditions, and social policy measures.
Survey results show that the proposed measures to support and reduce stress in parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Thanh Hoa province are necessary and feasible. To contribute to the support and alleviation of stress for these parents and to improve the quality of life for families, it is necessary to implement a combination of the above measures. No measure should be overlooked, and all should be supported by the community, professionals, and society.
Conclusion
In this study on parental stress among parents of children with ASD in Thanh Hoa province, we analyzed and evaluated a range of factors affecting parental stress. From parental awareness and skills to support from family and community, each aspect plays a significant role in determining the level of stress that parents face.
The study results reveal that stress among parents of children with ASD in Thanh Hoa is a common and multidimensional issue. The necessity and considerations of support measures have been identified, including providing information and coping skills for parents and establishing support networks within family and community settings. With the findings presented, the research has achieved its objectives and validated the research hypothesis.
Key Terms
Stress, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Psychological Support
12. Practical applicability:
About the current state of stress in parents of children with autism
Stress manifestations in parents of children with autism include four aspects: emotional, physical, cognitive and behavioral, in which the most frequent manifestation of stress is the emotional aspect, followed by the cognitive aspect, then behavioral the physical aspect and finally the aspect.
Factors that cause stress in parents of children with autism are divided into three groups including factors related to the child's characteristics, factors related to the parents themselves and other external factors from family, community. community and society are different. In particular, the factors include mastering stress support skills for children and the number of children with autism in the family that affect the level of stress expression in parents.
Ways to cope with stress in parents include negative and positive ways of coping, in which parents mainly use positive ways of coping. The more negative coping methods, the more stressed parents are, and conversely, if parents don't use them or rarely use them, their stress will decrease.
Parents all have different support needs from family, society and experts, of which parents are most concerned about the need for experts to guide and advise on how to solve their children's problems.
About support measures to reduce stress in parents of children with autism
Based on the results of studying the current situation, we develop support measures including a group of educational - psychological measures, a group of measures to build support conditions and a group of social policy measures. festival. festival. Survey results show that the measures are urgent, highly feasible, and closely correlated with each other.
With the results of the current situation research presented above, it can be confirmed that the researcher has completed the research task as well as proven the research hypothesis.
13. Further research directions, if any:
Based on the research results in this thesis, in the future the author will continue to research and implement issues related to parental stress in inclusive education for children with autism.