Table 5: Parental coping, social support, hardiness, and spiritual wellbeing by diagnostic group.

– ASD DS T1DM Significant Between-group Differences *
– Mothers Fathers Mothers Fathers Mothers Fathers –
Brief COPE (mean ± SD) – – – – – – –
        Engagement 23.3±4.8 21.7±4.3 22.6±5.1 20.8±4.3 20.8±5.2 19.6±5.3 Mothers: T1DM < ASD (p<0.001) and DS (p<0.01)
Fathers: T1DM <ASD (p<0.01)
        Disengagement 7.7±2.4 7.8±2.3 7.5±2.0 7.5±2.1 8.1±2.4 8.2±2.4 Fathers: T1DM > DS (p<0.05)
        Distraction 17.3±4.0 15.6±3.5 16.4±4.1 15.3±4.2 15.9±4.0 15.0±4.2 Mothers: T1DM < ASD and DS (all p<0.01)
        Cognitive Reframing 17.2±3.8 16.0±3.4 17.5±3.7 15.9±3.8 16.1±4.2 15.0±4.1 Mothers: ASD >T1DM (p<0.01)
Fathers: ASD >T1DM (p<0.05)
MSPSS (mean ± SD) – – – – – – –
Total score 61.6±14.7 63.4±12.2 67.3±11.9 65.1±11.2 67.4±12.6 68.7±10.3 Mothers: ASD <DS and T1DM (all p<0.001)
Fathers: T1DM > ASD (p<0.001) and DS (p<0.05)
Significant Other 17.0±4.1 17.8±3.5 18.2±3.2 18.3±3.0 17.8±3.5 18.2±2.8 Mothers: ASD <DS (p<0.01)
Family 15.9±4.4 16.7±3.6 17.3±3.7 16.9±3.5 17.5±3.7 18.3±2.5 Mothers: ASD < T1DM and DS (all p<0.01)
Fathers: T1DM > ASD (p<0.001) and DS (p<0.01)
Friends 13.4±4.8 13.0±4.2 14.9±4.4 13.7±4.3 15.4±3.9 15.0±4.1 Mothers: ASD < T1DM (p<0.001) and DS (p<0.01)
Fathers: T1DM > ASD (p<0.001) and DS (p<0.05)
DRS-15 (mean ± SD) 27.7±5.5 27.9±5.2 27.8±5.5 27.8±5.7 27.4±5.0 27.7±5.2 –
WHOQOL-100 SRPB (mean ± SD) 69.2±21.4 70.9±18.8 75.3±18.4 71.1±17.7 71.7±17.7 73.4±18.3 –

ASD = Autism Spectrum Disorder; DS = Down’s syndrome; T1DM = Type 1 diabetes mellitus; FPQ = Family Problems Questionnaire; GHQ = General Health Questionnaire; DRS = Dispositional Resilience Scale; MSPSS = Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support; WHOQOL-100 SRPB = 100-item version of the World Health Organization Quality Of Life questionnaire, Spirituality Religion and Personal Beliefs facet subscale
* after adjustment for age and for child’s age and sex