'Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM Press)'
Abstract
This concept paper reviews the issue of parenting stress in mothers and fathers of children with
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and highlights the need for stress management guideline
and policy for these parents in Malaysia. Many studies have shown that parents of children
with ASD are experiencing a high level of stress. Despite this issue, there has not been any
local measures to improve the well-being of the parents. In Malaysia, there is no policy or
standard guideline for parents of children with ASD, hence maintaining the risk of mental
health cases among them. In order to overcome this issue, this paper reviewed the Lazarus and
Folkman’s (1984) problem-focused strategies used by parents of children with ASD from
previous studies. The strategies mentioned in this paper had been empirically proven as
reducing the parents’ stress level. This paper also recommends the strategies to be included in
a local policy to help the parents manage their stress