Role of Mindful Parenting, Affiliate Stigma, and Parents’ Well-being in the Behavioral Adjustment of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Testing Parenting Stress as a Mediator

Abstract

The present study aimed to elucidate the mediating vs. moderating role of parenting stress between parents’ characteristics, including parents’ disposition to mindful parenting, affiliate stigma, and mental well-being, and the behavioral adjustment of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A total of 136 Chinese parents of children with ASD under 18 years of age participated in this cross-sectional study. Mediation findings showed that parenting stress mediated the relation between parents’ characteristics (i.e., parents’ disposition to mindful parenting and affiliated stigma) and behavioral difficulties in children with ASD. While parents’ mental well-being did not explain the variability of parenting stress, parenting stress undermined mental well-being. Parents’ mental well-being was also related to children’s prosocial behaviors. However, their mental well-being did not mediate between parenting stress and children’s prosocial behaviors. Competing test of parenting stress as a moderator did not yield significant findings. These findings inform applied intervention efforts to promote parents’ mindful parenting and mental well-being as resources that generate multiple outcomes in children with ASD. Relatedly, the present research suggests the importance of combating stigma in reducing parents’ stress and children’s behavioral difficulties.