George-Levi Sivan, Laslo-Roth Roni, Ben Yaakov Lital
Department of Behavioral Sciences, Peres Academic Center, Rehovot, Israel.
Fam Process. 2024 Mar;63(1):364-378. doi: 10.1111/famp.12877. Epub 2023 Mar 21.
Fathers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be at increased risk of becoming lonely. In the current study, we explored the differences in loneliness between fathers of children with and without ASD and identified interpersonal and familial resources (social support, family cohesion, and family adaptability) that might be related to levels of loneliness. Using a cross-sectional design, 348 fathers (of 114 children with ASD and 234 without) completed a series of questionnaires. Fathers of children with ASD reported higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of social support and family cohesion. A moderated mediation model indicated that the interaction between social support and family cohesion mediated the association between ASD group (i.e., ASD vs. non-ASD) and fathers' loneliness. Findings suggest the importance of interpersonal and familial resources (e.g., perceived social support and family cohesion) for family members at risk of loneliness.
患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的父亲可能更容易感到孤独。在当前的研究中，我们探讨了患有和未患有ASD儿童的父亲在孤独感方面的差异，并确定了可能与孤独程度相关的人际和家庭资源（社会支持、家庭凝聚力和家庭适应性）。采用横断面设计，348名父亲（其中114名孩子患有ASD，234名孩子未患ASD）完成了一系列问卷调查。患有ASD儿童的父亲报告称孤独程度更高，社会支持和家庭凝聚力水平更低。一个有调节的中介模型表明，社会支持和家庭凝聚力之间的相互作用介导了ASD组（即ASD与非ASD）与父亲孤独感之间的关联。研究结果表明，人际和家庭资源（如感知到的社会支持和家庭凝聚力）对于有孤独风险的家庭成员很重要。
