Mothers' Reactions to Child's Autism Spectrum Disorder: Are Grief and Distress Distinguishable Reactions?

Studies on parental reactions to ASD do not distinguish grief from general distress. Among 362 mothers (mean age = 43), grief reactions were associated with perceiving ASD as a “loss” and “unjust.” Child’s aggression, less social support, mothers’ previous mental health issues, and higher identity ambiguity were associated with distress.