The nature of sense making in parenting a child with Asperger syndrome

The present study examined the nature of sense making in 218 parents who have a child with Asperger syndrome (AS) by developing and validating a multi-item sense making scale for parents of children with AS (SMS-PCAS) and examined the relationships between sense making dimensions and both positive and negative adjustment outcomes. Two hundred and eighteen parents of children with AS completed questionnaires at Time 1 and 12 months later (Time 2). Exploratory factor analyses identified six sense making factors: spiritual perspective, causal attributions, changed perspective, identification, reframing, and luck/fate. All of the factors were psychometrically sound. Cross-sectional regression analyses indicated that the SMS-PCAS factors accounted for significant portions of variance in Time 1 depression, anxiety and positive affect. Sense making factors did not account for significant portions of variance in Time 2 adjustment variables after controlling for Time 1 adjustment and relevant demographics. Results provide support for the multi-dimensional nature of sense making and the differential relationships between sense making dimensions and adjustment outcomes.