| Abstract | The current study examined family functioning and parent mental health in families of color with children with ASD during the COVID-19 pandemic and racial inequality protests of summer 2020 compared to White families. Because of the limited research regarding families of color with children with ASD, this study attempted to add to the sparse literature and to increase understanding of the specific experiences of families of color with children with ASD. The results suggest that mothers of color with children with ASD had lower relationship satisfaction in April and June 2020 and mothers in minority families reported a higher frequency of "major" conflicts in their relationships, indicating that they may not be receiving adequate support from their partners. The results were inconsistent with my hypothesis regarding parenting mental health, as I found that minority mothers of children with ASD reported lower perceived stress compared to White mothers. These results could be due to extended family support systems in families of color. The findings have implications for the development of services directed to families of children with ASD, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g., remote respite care). The only significant difference found concerning police encounters was that mothers in minority families were more concerned about their child with ASD interacting with police in the future. These findings indicate that because men of color are targeted at higher rates by the police, they are more at risk for having negative interactions with the police as these children of color get older. |
