Xing Jingwen, Kang Yingxuan, Kuo Fengyi, Sun Xiaojun, Xi Juzhe, Kang Zhiyu
Jingwen Xing, PhD, is Associate Professor, School of Education, Tianhua College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China;
Yingxuan Kang is Undergraduate Student, School of Information Technology in Education, South China Normal University, Guangzhou, China.
Am J Occup Ther. 2025 Jan 1;79(1). doi: 10.5014/ajot.2025.050789.
Resilience has been reported as a vital element against the high burden on caregivers of children with autism. However, the intricate mechanisms underlying the concurrent interplay of positive factors with resilience within this demographic group remain less understood.
To construct a model to verify the sequential mediating influence of hope and gratitude in the relationship between perceived social support and resilience among caregivers of children with autism.
Cross-sectional study.
A total of 193 caregivers of children with autism in mainland China.
Data were collected using the Herth Hope Index, C-GQ-6 Gratitude Questionnaire, Perceived Social Support Scale, and Resilience Questionnaire for Parents of Children With Special Needs. The hypothesized mediating model was tested with Process 4.0 (Model 6) for SPSS (Version 26.0).
The relationship of perceived social support and resilience was mediated by hope, gratitude, and the hope-gratitude sequence. Hope exhibited a stronger mediation effect, accounting for 26.23% of the total effect.
The results indicated significant positive correlations between perceived social support, hope, gratitude, and resilience, with perceived social support strongly linked to the other three. This study has important implications for occupational therapy, suggesting strategies for resilience-focused interventions tailored to caregivers of children with autism.
PLAIN-LANGUAGE SUMMARY: Resilience is essential for caregivers of children with autism. Studies show that parents of children with autism report having fewer social supports, reduced quality of life, and heightened mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. This research highlights the connections between caregivers' perceived social support, hope, gratitude, and resilience. Addressing caregiver social supports and mental health can enhance caregiver well-being as well as children's participation in meaningful activities. The findings suggest practical implications and insights for occupational therapy practitioners to strengthen and foster caregiver resilience and well-being in the autism community.
据报道，心理韧性是抵御自闭症儿童照料者沉重负担的关键因素。然而，在这一人群中，积极因素与心理韧性同时相互作用的复杂机制仍鲜为人知。
构建一个模型，以验证希望和感恩在自闭症儿童照料者感知社会支持与心理韧性之间关系中的顺序中介作用。
横断面研究。
中国大陆193名自闭症儿童照料者。
使用赫思希望指数、C-GQ-6感恩问卷、感知社会支持量表和特殊需求儿童家长心理韧性问卷收集数据。使用SPSS（版本26.0）的Process 4.0（模型6）对假设的中介模型进行检验。
感知社会支持与心理韧性的关系由希望、感恩以及希望-感恩序列中介。希望表现出更强的中介效应，占总效应的26.23%。
结果表明，感知社会支持、希望、感恩和心理韧性之间存在显著正相关，感知社会支持与其他三者密切相关。本研究对职业治疗具有重要意义，为针对自闭症儿童照料者的以心理韧性为重点的干预措施提供了策略。
心理韧性对自闭症儿童照料者至关重要。研究表明，自闭症儿童的家长报告社会支持较少、生活质量下降以及心理健康挑战加剧，包括焦虑、抑郁和绝望。本研究强调了照料者感知社会支持、希望、感恩和心理韧性之间的联系。解决照料者的社会支持和心理健康问题可以提高照料者的幸福感以及儿童参与有意义活动的程度。研究结果为职业治疗从业者在自闭症群体中增强和培养照料者的心理韧性及幸福感提供了实际意义和见解。
