Department of Sociology and Center for Social Development and Education, University of Massachusetts Boston, Boston, MA, USA.
J Autism Dev Disord. 2012 Dec;42(12):2597-610. doi: 10.1007/s10803-012-1517-9.
This study examined the characteristics of the support networks of 106 mothers of children with ASD and their relationship to perceived social support, depressed mood, and subjective well-being. Using structural equation modeling, two competing sets of hypotheses were assessed: (1) that network characteristics would impact psychological adjustment directly, and (2) that network effects on adjustment would be indirect, mediated by perceived social support. Results primarily lent support to the latter hypotheses, with measures of network structure (network size) and function (proportion of network members providing emotional support) predicting increased levels of perceived social support which, in turn, predicted decreased depressed mood and increased well-being. Results also indicated that increased interpersonal strain in the maternal network was directly and indirectly associated with increased maternal depression, while being indirectly linked to reduced well-being. Study limitations and implications are discussed.
本研究考察了 106 名自闭症儿童母亲的支持网络特征及其与感知社会支持、抑郁情绪和主观幸福感的关系。本研究采用结构方程模型，评估了两种相互竞争的假设：（1）网络特征将直接影响心理适应；（2）网络对调整的影响是间接的，通过感知社会支持来调节。结果主要支持后一种假设，网络结构（网络规模）和功能（提供情感支持的网络成员比例）的测量预测感知社会支持的增加，而感知社会支持又预测抑郁情绪的减少和幸福感的增加。结果还表明，母亲网络中的人际紧张程度与母亲抑郁的增加直接和间接相关，而与幸福感的降低间接相关。研究的局限性和意义也进行了讨论。
