Purpose
The current study examined self-esteem, social support, and life satisfaction in Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and observed the mediation effects of social support on the relationship between self-esteem and life satisfaction.
Methods
We compared 118 Chinese parents of children with ASD to 122 demographic-matched parents of typically developing children on measures of self-esteem, social support, and life satisfaction using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), respectively.
Results
Parents of children with ASD scored significantly lower on self-esteem, social support, and life satisfaction than the controls (ps < 0.01), and social support partly mediated the relationship between self-esteem and life satisfaction in both groups. Hierarchical regressions indicated that after controlling for demographic variables, social support and self-esteem were significant predictors of life satisfaction in both groups but explained more variance in life satisfaction for the parents of children with ASD.
Conclusions
Social support and self-esteem play a more important role in life satisfaction for parents of children with ASD than those of typically developing children. Life satisfaction is positively related to higher household income, higher self-esteem, and stronger social support for parents. Self-esteem is likely to be associated with greater life satisfaction by means of greater social support. Future research and interventions should focus on fostering a more positive climate of social support for ASD families in China.
The reported prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has increased significantly around the world over the past few decades (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2011 and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2012). Specially, there are an estimated 1.8 million children with ASD living in China (Autism-World, 2008). Children with ASD often experience severe impairment in mental and physical health leading to deficits in daily functioning. Consequently, caregivers and family members of children with ASD, specifically parents, experience a number of negative outcomes. Compared to parents of typically developing children, parents of children with ASD tend to report a higher prevalence of anxiety, depression, and frustration, along with lower self-esteem, matrimonial contentment, and personal satisfaction (Duarte, Bordin, Yazigi, & Mooney, 2005). Key players in autism advocacy such as policy makers, researchers, and service providers particularly underscore the importance of improving quality of life for families of children with ASD (Werner & Shulman, 2013). Quality of life is therefore a key variable to consider in the evaluation of parents’ adaptation to their child's disability. The integrative definition of quality of life incorporates the individual's physical health, psychological state, social relationships, financial well-being, spiritual and cultural beliefs, and their interactions with salient features of the environment (Dardas & Ahmad, 2014). In this regard, it is essential to comprehensively assess the condition of parents, such as life satisfaction, social status, in order to equip them to best care for their children with ASD. As Chinese parents experience different social, spiritual, cultural, physical, and personal contexts from their western counterparts, it is particularly important to study this population of parents individually in order to determine specific interventions to improve their overall health. However, limited research on quality of life and its predictors among caregivers of children with ASD exists in China. Understanding more about the causality of these relationships will help determine which interventions might be most helpful.
