Masa'Deh Rami, Sawalha Murad A, Maabreh Roqia Saleem, Aslanoğlu Aziz, Safieh Haneen Abu, Elshatarat Rami A, Saleh Zyad T, Almagharbeh Wesam T, Alnawafleh Khaldoon Aied, Al-Sayaghi Khaled M
Faculty of Nursing, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan.
Department of Maternal, Child and Family Health Nursing, Faculty of Nursing, The Hashemite University, Zarqa, Jordan.
Sci Rep. 2025 Aug 10;15(1):29252. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-07027-0.
Parents of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face elevated psychological distress, including symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study explored whether perceived social support moderates the relationship between parental gender and PTSD risk. A cross-sectional correlational study was conducted among 142 Arabic-speaking parents (equally distributed between mothers and fathers) recruited from 10 ASD treatment centers in central Jordan. Participants completed standardized measures of PTSD symptoms and perceived social support, along with demographic and child-related information. Two hierarchical linear regression models were employed to examine whether perceived social support moderated the association between parental gender and PTSD symptoms, controlling for relevant covariates. The mean PTSD score among parents was 42.08, surpassing the clinical risk threshold of 33. Mothers reported significantly higher PTSD scores compared to fathers. Elevated PTSD symptoms were also observed among parents with low levels of perceived social support and those caring for children with more severe ASD symptoms. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that perceived social support significantly moderated the relationship between parental gender and PTSD symptoms. Specifically, mothers with low perceived social support exhibited the highest levels of PTSD symptoms, whereas fathers with high support showed the lowest. The final regression model explained 61% of the variance in PTSD scores. Perceived social support serves as a significant moderating factor in the relationship between parental gender and PTSD risk among parents of children with ASD. Targeted interventions that strengthen social support-particularly for mothers-may help reduce PTSD symptoms and enhance the psychological well-being of caregivers in ASD-affected families.
被诊断患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的儿童的父母常常面临更高的心理困扰，包括创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）的症状。本研究探讨了感知到的社会支持是否会调节父母性别与PTSD风险之间的关系。在从约旦中部10个ASD治疗中心招募的142名讲阿拉伯语的父母（母亲和父亲人数均等）中进行了一项横断面相关性研究。参与者完成了PTSD症状和感知到的社会支持的标准化测量，以及人口统计学和与孩子相关的信息。采用两个层次线性回归模型来检验感知到的社会支持是否调节了父母性别与PTSD症状之间的关联，并控制了相关协变量。父母的PTSD平均得分是42.08，超过了33的临床风险阈值。母亲报告的PTSD得分显著高于父亲。在感知到的社会支持水平较低的父母以及照顾ASD症状更严重孩子的父母中，也观察到了较高的PTSD症状。层次回归分析表明，感知到的社会支持显著调节了父母性别与PTSD症状之间的关系。具体而言，感知到的社会支持较低的母亲表现出最高水平的PTSD症状，而社会支持较高的父亲表现出最低水平。最终的回归模型解释了PTSD得分中61%的方差。感知到的社会支持是ASD儿童父母的父母性别与PTSD风险之间关系的一个重要调节因素。加强社会支持的针对性干预措施——特别是对母亲——可能有助于减轻PTSD症状，并提高受ASD影响家庭中照顾者的心理健康。
