Impact of Mother-Reported Optimism and Pessimism on Services Received and Needed Among Latino and White Children with Autism

Background and Purpose For mothers of children who exhibit challenging behaviors optimism is associated with decreased distress (Clarke & Beck, 1999). Optimists may gain an advantage in dealing with negative events due to their preference for more active coping strategies (Dougall et al., 2001), capacity to reinterpret negative events, or ability to find meaning and growth from negative experiences. However, little is known about ethnic differences in optimism and pessimism among parents raising children with autism. We aimed to compare mother-reported optimism and pessimism among Latino and non-Latino White families raising children with autism.  Secondly, we aimed to determine the impact of mother’s ethnicity, child problem behaviors, optimism, and pessimism on the number of services children received and those needed.

Methods Forty-five Latino caregivers and 56 non-Latino White caregivers were administered a questionnaire on their experiences with their child’s diagnosis and service use. Children were between 3 and 21 years of age (μ=9.6; SD=4.5) at the time of the study. Optimism and pessimism were measured with the Questionnaire on Resources and Stress (QRS-FR; Friedrich, Greenberg, & Crnic, 1983). Services received was measured with 7 items pertaining to whether children had ever received a given service. Services needed were measured with 7 questions about whether children needed a given service. Bivariate correlations were produced for all variables in the study. A two stage hierchical multiple regression was conducted with services received as the dependent variable. Mother’s ethnicity was entered at stage one. Optimism and pessimism were entered at stage two. A two stage hierchical multiple regression was conducted with services needed as the dependent variable. Mother’s ethnicity and child behaviors were entered at stage one. Optimism and pessimism were entered at stage two.

Results

T-tests indicated that Latina mothers reported higher levels of optimism and lower levels of pessimism than White mothers.  The hierarchical multiple regression for services received revealed that at Stage one, ethnicity contributed significantly to the regression model, F(1,98)=22.21, p<.001 and accounted for 18.5% of the variation in services received. Introducing the optimism and pessimism variables explained an additional 5.1% of variation in services. When all three independent variables were included in stage two of the regression model being Latina (β=-1.25, p<.001) and optimism (β=-0.07, p<.05) predicted services received. However, pessimism was not significant. The hierarchical multiple regression for services needed revealed that at Stage one, ethnicity and behaviors contributed significantly to the regression model, F(2,97)=9.39, p<.001) and accounted for 14.5% of the variation in services needed. Introducing the optimism and pessimism variables explained an additional 7.2%. When all three independent variables were included in stage two of the regression model being Latina (β=1.28, p<.001), child behaviors (β=.17, p<.05), optimism (β =.07, p<.05), and pessimism (β =.19, p<.01) predicted services needed.

Conclusions and Implications

Analyses indicate that different child and mother factors contributed to the number of services received and needed. Understanding the influence of these factors on services received and needed has implications for the development of interventions addressing services access and utilization.