The lived experience of mothers of adolescent with autism spectrum disorder

• Main Author: Custodio, Nanette A.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2018
• Subjects: Mothers of children with disabilities; Parents of autistic children; Autistic people; Autism spectrum disorders
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_masteral/5451
• Institution: De La Salle University

This phenomenological study was undertaken to describe the essential features and structure of the lived experiences of mothers of an adolescent with autism. Six (6) mothers were purposively chosen based on the predetermined inclusion criteria in selecting the samples of the study. The number of participants was determined through the data saturation. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gather relevant data using an expert validated interview questionnaire. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and translated to English accordingly. Data were analyzed using Giorgis descriptive phenomenological method to determine the essential structure of the phenomenon. The results revealed that the lifelong nature of Autism Spectrum Disorder in an adolescent has deep implications on mothers as they are confronted with various challenges in raising the child. They also experienced physical, emotional, and psychological stress. Impairments in the marital and mother-child relationships were also observed. The experiential accounts of mothers illustrated how they were able to navigate from the stage of denial to the stage of acceptance and self-empowerment. The presence of the support system and the mothers belief to the higher being played vital role in the acceptance process. The mothers were concerned over the future of the adolescent. Early preparation measures undertaken by mothers to address this concern were discussed. The mothers believed that having an adolescent child with Autism Spectrum Disorder is a unique opportunity that enabled them to discover self-worth and sense of wholeness. Recommendations based on emergent findings were also presented.