Traduction: G.M.
Encephale. 2016 Sep 9. pii: S0013-7006(16)30175-0. doi: 10.1016/j.encep.2016.08.001.
[Autism spectrum disorder and evaluation of perceived stress parents and professionals: Study of the psychometric properties of a French adaptation of the Appraisal of Life Event Scale (ALES-vf)].
[Article in French]
Author information
- 1Laboratoire de psychopathologie et processus de santé (LPPS - EA4057), institut de psychologie, université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Bureau 4087, 71, avenue Edouard-Vaillant, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Electronic address: emilie.cappe@parisdescartes.fr.
- 2Département de psychologie, université du Québec à Montréal, C.P. 8888 succursale Centre-ville, Montréal, Québec, H3C 3P8 Canada.
- 3Laboratoire de psychopathologie et processus de santé (LPPS - EA4057), institut de psychologie, université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Bureau 4087, 71, avenue Edouard-Vaillant, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt, France.
- 4Institut de recherche en sciences psychologiques, université catholique de Louvain, place de l'Université 1, 1348 Louvain, Belgique.
- 5Département de psychoéducation, université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, 3351, boulevard des Forges, Trois-Rivières, QC, G9A 5H7 Canada.
- 6Service de psychologie clinique de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, département de psychologie et cliniques des systèmes humains, université de Liège, place du 20-Août-7, 4000 Liège, Belgique.
Abstract
L'autisme et les troubles connexes sont regroupés dans la catégorie des «troubles du spectre de l'autisme » (TSA) dans le DSM-5. Cette
appellation reflète l'idée d'une représentation tridimensionnelle de
l'autisme qui combine les symptômes et les caractéristiques qui varient
en gravité et intensité. Malgré
des caractéristiques communes, il existe divers degrés d'intensité et
dans l'apparition des symptômes, allant d'un handicap qui peut être très
lourd avec une absence totale de communication et de troubles majeurs
associés à l'existence d'une autonomie relative associée, parfois, avec d'extraordinaires capacités intellectuelles. Les
parents sont confrontés à plusieurs situations difficiles, telles que
les troubles du sommeil, l'agitation, les cris, l'hétéro violence ,
l'automutilation, les difficultés d'apprentissage, les stéréotypes, le
manque de réciprocité sociale et émotionnelle, un comportement
inapproprié, etc. Ils peuvent se sentir impuissants et peuvent ressentir
le stress lié à ces difficultés de développement et de comportement. L'hétérogénéité
des symptômes, la présence de troubles du comportement, l'absence de
réciprocité et de l'autonomie représentent aussi un défi pour les
praticiens dans les établissements et les enseignants à l'école. L'objectif
de cette recherche est de présenter la validation d'une traduction
française de l'échelle Appraisal of
Life Events (ALES-vf) de
Ferguson, Matthex et Cox, spécifiquement adaptée au contexte du TSA. L'ALES a été initialement développée pour opérationnaliser les trois
dimensions du stress perçu (menace, la perte et le défi) décrit par
Lazarus et Folkman.
Autism and related disorders are grouped into the category of « Autism Spectrum Disorder » (ASD) in the DSM-5. This appellation reflects the idea of a dimensional representation of autism that combines symptoms and characteristics that vary in severity and intensity. Despite common characteristics, there are varying degrees in intensity and in the onset of symptoms, ranging from a disability that can be very heavy with a total lack of communication and major disorders associated with the existence of a relative autonomy associated, sometimes, with extraordinary intellectual abilities. Parents are faced with several difficult situations, such as sleep disturbances, agitation, shouting, hetero violence, self-harm, learning difficulties, stereotyping, lack of social and emotional reciprocity, inappropriate behavior, etc. They can feel helpless and may experience stress related to these developmental and behavioral difficulties. The heterogeneity of symptoms, the presence of behavioral problems, the lack of reciprocity and autonomy also represent a challenge for practitioners in institutions and teachers at school. The objective of this research is to present the validation of a French translation of the Appraisal of Life Events Scale (ALES-vf) from Ferguson, Matthex and Cox, specifically adapted to the context of ASD. ALES was originally developed to operationalize the three dimensions of perceived stress (threat, loss and challenge) described by Lazarus and Folkman.
An exploratory factor analysis performed on data from 170 parents highlighted two exploratory models with four and three factors, slightly different from the original three-factor model of Ferguson and his collaborators. Confirmatory analyzes were conducted on data from 173 other parents to test two exploratory models and the original model of Ferguson. It has also been tested on data from 305 professionals (paramedical professionals and teachers) and on the whole sample (parents and professionals). The results suggest a better match of the original three-factor model. In addition, Cronbach's alpha coefficients and inter-item correlations showed a good internal consistency for these three factors. Finally, variance analysis and regressions were performed to test the effect of the nationality of the parents, the child's level of autonomy, the child's level of communication, and on the perceived stress by experienced professionals.
ALES-vf, after our adaptation has good psychometric properties for use not only with parents but also with professionals (teachers, educators, psychologists) working with children with ASD. Our analyses showed that the nationality of the parents does not significantly influence the subscales « threat » and « challenge » of ALES-vf, which makes it usable in other Francophone countries. Specificities in the subscales were identified based on group membership (parents and professionals). For example parents get higher average scores on subscales « loss » and « threat » and a lower average score on the subscale « challenge », compared to professionals. Finally, regarding the specifics found among professionals, the results show that the years of experience have an effect on perceived stress. Specifically, teachers and educators who have more experience perceive their work with children with ASD as a challenge. This is consistent with the results of studies showing that teachers who have had experience with children with ASD had less difficulty in their interventions.
Copyright © 2016 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
Autism and related disorders are grouped into the category of « Autism Spectrum Disorder » (ASD) in the DSM-5. This appellation reflects the idea of a dimensional representation of autism that combines symptoms and characteristics that vary in severity and intensity. Despite common characteristics, there are varying degrees in intensity and in the onset of symptoms, ranging from a disability that can be very heavy with a total lack of communication and major disorders associated with the existence of a relative autonomy associated, sometimes, with extraordinary intellectual abilities. Parents are faced with several difficult situations, such as sleep disturbances, agitation, shouting, hetero violence, self-harm, learning difficulties, stereotyping, lack of social and emotional reciprocity, inappropriate behavior, etc. They can feel helpless and may experience stress related to these developmental and behavioral difficulties. The heterogeneity of symptoms, the presence of behavioral problems, the lack of reciprocity and autonomy also represent a challenge for practitioners in institutions and teachers at school. The objective of this research is to present the validation of a French translation of the Appraisal of Life Events Scale (ALES-vf) from Ferguson, Matthex and Cox, specifically adapted to the context of ASD. ALES was originally developed to operationalize the three dimensions of perceived stress (threat, loss and challenge) described by Lazarus and Folkman.
METHODOLOGY:
ALES-vf was initially translated into French and adapted to the situation of parents of children with ASD. It was subsequently administered to 343 parents, 150 paramedical professionals involved with people with ASD, and 155 teachers from an ordinary school environment and from specialized schools, welcoming in their classroom at least one child with ASD.RESULTS:
Une analyse factorielle exploratoire réalisée à partir des données de 170 parents, a mis en évidence deux modèles exploratoires avec quatre et trois facteurs, légèrement différents du modèle à trois facteurs d'origine de Ferguson et de ses collaborateurs. Les analyses de confirmation ont été réalisées sur les données de 173 autres parents pour tester deux modèles exploratoires et le modèle original de Ferguson. Il a également été testé sur les données de 305 professionnels (professionnels et enseignants paramédicaux) et sur l'ensemble de l'échantillon (parents et professionnels). Les résultats suggèrent une meilleure adéquation du modèle à trois facteurs d'origine. En outre, les coefficients Cronbach alpha et les corrélations inter-item ont montré une bonne cohérence interne de ces trois facteurs. Enfin, l'analyse de la variance et des régressions ont été réalisées pour tester l'effet de la nationalité des parents, le niveau d'autonomie de l'enfant, le niveau de la communication de l'enfant , et sur le stress ressenti par des professionnels expérimentés.An exploratory factor analysis performed on data from 170 parents highlighted two exploratory models with four and three factors, slightly different from the original three-factor model of Ferguson and his collaborators. Confirmatory analyzes were conducted on data from 173 other parents to test two exploratory models and the original model of Ferguson. It has also been tested on data from 305 professionals (paramedical professionals and teachers) and on the whole sample (parents and professionals). The results suggest a better match of the original three-factor model. In addition, Cronbach's alpha coefficients and inter-item correlations showed a good internal consistency for these three factors. Finally, variance analysis and regressions were performed to test the effect of the nationality of the parents, the child's level of autonomy, the child's level of communication, and on the perceived stress by experienced professionals.
CONCLUSION:
L'ALES-vf, après notre adaptation présente de bonnes propriétés psychométriques pour une utilisation non seulement avec les parents, mais aussi avec les professionnels (enseignants, éducateurs, psychologues) travaillant avec les enfants avec TSA. Nos analyses ont montré que la nationalité des parents n'a pas d'influence de manière significative sur la sous-échelles «menace» et «défi» de l'ALES-vf, ce qui le rend utilisable dans d'autres pays francophones. Les Spécificités dans les sous-échelles ont été identifiés sur la base de l'appartenance au groupe (parents et professionnels). Par exemple les parents obtiennent des scores moyens plus élevés sur les sous-échelles «perte» et «menace» et un score moyen inférieur sur la sous-échelle «défi», par rapport aux professionnels. Enfin, en ce qui concerne les détails trouvés parmi les professionnels, les résultats montrent que les années d'expérience ont un effet sur le stress perçu. Plus précisément, les enseignants et les éducateurs qui ont plus d'expérience perçoivent leur travail avec les enfants avec TSA comme un défi. Ceci est cohérent avec les résultats d'études montrant que les enseignants qui ont eu l'expérience avec les enfants avec TSA ont eu moins de difficulté dans leurs interventions.ALES-vf, after our adaptation has good psychometric properties for use not only with parents but also with professionals (teachers, educators, psychologists) working with children with ASD. Our analyses showed that the nationality of the parents does not significantly influence the subscales « threat » and « challenge » of ALES-vf, which makes it usable in other Francophone countries. Specificities in the subscales were identified based on group membership (parents and professionals). For example parents get higher average scores on subscales « loss » and « threat » and a lower average score on the subscale « challenge », compared to professionals. Finally, regarding the specifics found among professionals, the results show that the years of experience have an effect on perceived stress. Specifically, teachers and educators who have more experience perceive their work with children with ASD as a challenge. This is consistent with the results of studies showing that teachers who have had experience with children with ASD had less difficulty in their interventions.
Copyright © 2016 L'Encéphale, Paris. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.
- PMID: 27623118
- DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2016.08.001
