Journal Article

Linking Child Autism to Parental Depression and Anxiety: The Mediating Roles of Enacted and Felt Stigma

Chan, Kevin Ka Shing, Leung, Donald Chi Kin

2021

Overview

This study examined whether child autistic symptoms would heighten parental affective symptoms through evoking enacted stigma from the community (i.e., public and courtesy stigma) and felt stigma within the parents (i.e., vicarious and self-stigma). Cross-sectional questionnaire data were collected from 441 parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Path analyses showed that social communication and interaction deficits and restricted and repetitive behaviors in child autism were positively associated with public and courtesy stigma. While public stigma was positively associated with parental vicarious stigma, courtesy stigma was positively associated with parental self-stigma. Both vicarious and self-stigma were positively associated with depressive and anxiety symptoms among parents. Findings revealed how child autism could compromise parental well-being through exacerbating the family’s stigmatizing experiences.

• Publisher: Springer US,Springer,Springer Nature B.V
• Subject: Adult / Affective symptoms / Anxiety / Anxiety - epidemiology / Anxiety - psychology / Autism / Autism Spectrum Disorder - epidemiology / Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology / Autism Spectrum Disorders / Autistic children / Behavior Problems / Behavioral Science and Psychology / Beliefs / Child / Child and School Psychology / Child Health / Child Rearing / Child, Preschool / Children / China - epidemiology / Communication / Cross-Sectional Studies / Demographic aspects / Depression (Psychology) / Depression - epidemiology / Depression, Mental / Diagnosis / Emotional Response / Family (Sociological Unit) / Female / Health aspects / Humans / Interpersonal communication / Interpersonal Relationship / Male / Mental depression / Mental Health / Meta Analysis / Middle Aged / Negative Attitudes / Neurosciences / Original Paper / Parent Caregiver Relationship / Parent Role / Parent-child relations / Parental depression / Parenting Styles / Parents / Parents & parenting / Parents - psychology / Pediatrics / Pervasive Developmental Disorders / Politeness / Psychological aspects / Psychological Patterns / Psychology / Public Health / Public opinion / Repetitive behaviour / Risk factors / Self esteem / Self Evaluation (Individuals) / Social aspects / Social Behavior / Social Bias / Social Problems / Social Stigma / Stigma / Surveys and Questionnaires / Symptoms / Symptoms (Individual Disorders) / Well being