Post-traumatic growth in Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: Statuses and personal factors

Abstract

This study aimed to characterise post-traumatic growth among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the related factors. Participants were 396 parents of children with autism from Guangdong Province, China (female = 65.15 %; mean age = 33.67 years, SD = 2.89 years). Following regression analysis, results indicated that parents of children with ASD were above average in their post-traumatic growth; particularly those with children with milder symptoms and of higher family income levels. First-married parents had significantly higher post-traumatic growth than the Not first-married (i.e., remarried, divorced, widowed). Parents reporting with social support, quiet ego, and psychological capital had higher post-traumatic growth. From these findings, we conclude that post-traumatic growth is a resilience factor in raising children with ASD and that social capital is important for the well-being of parents of children with ASD.