Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy for Parents Raising a Child with an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Pilot Study

• Published in: Journal of marital and family therapy Vol. 43; no. 4; pp. 662 - 673
• Main Authors: Lee, Nicholas A., Furrow, James L., Bradley, Brent A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01-10-2017
• Subjects: Adult; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic children; Behavior Patterns; Child; Child Rearing; Childhood Needs; Children; Children & youth; Chronic illnesses; Communication Skills; Control Groups; Couples; Couples therapy; Couples Therapy - methods; Divorce; Emotional Response; Emotionally focused; Etiology; Families & family life; Family (Sociological Unit); Female; Follow-Up Studies; Humans; Male; Marital Therapy - methods; Marriage; Mental disorders; Mental health; Middle Aged; Modeling (Psychology); Outcome Assessment (Health Care); Parent Role; Parents & parenting; Parents - psychology; Personality; Pilot Projects; Psychological distress; Psychological Patterns; Psychotherapy; Researchers; Resistance (Psychology); Spouses - psychology; Stress
• ISSN: 0194-472X; 1752-0606
• DOI: 10.1111/jmft.12225

Many couples raising children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are often resilient in confronting unique parental demands, while others experience greater risk for relational distress. Research has shown that Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) is efficacious with couples raising chronically ill children and relevant to the relational demands of parents of children diagnosed with an ASD. This pilot study tested the effectiveness of EFT with seven couples presenting with moderate to severe distress, who were also parents of a child diagnosed with an ASD. Results demonstrated significant decreases in marital distress at posttreatment and 6‐month follow‐up. The study also identified several unique themes associated with couple distress and the parenting experiences of this population.