A Cross-Cultural Study on Coping Strategies of Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Adolescence is a very complex phase during which understanding how they cope up is essential for psychological wellbeing. And it becomes challenging if they have an ASD sibling. Hence it is essential to understand from their perspective. Moreover, knowing the nature of their coping could allow clinicians to provide better support to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families. Objectives: This study aims to compare adolescent living with ASD siblings from Male and India on their different coping strategies. Methods: The participant’s age was (10-19) living with a sibling diagnosed with autism. The sample included a total of (N=60) from both Male’ and India. To accomplish the objectives of the present research work, under the ex-post facto research design, a cross-cultural study has been conducted. Results: Participants from Male’ scored higher on distraction and wishful thinking as compared to participants from India; showing that siblings with ASD children use distraction and wishful thinking most frequently as a coping strategy. Whereas, participants from India indicated significantly high emotional regulation and social support compared to Male ‘participants. The current study indicated despite the cultural differences among the two samples (Male’& India), there is a need for siblings of children with ASD to be included in psychosocial interventions along with primary caregivers for better coping and prevent internalizing behaviors.