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Self-Compassion: a Potential Buffer Against Affiliate Stigma Experienced by Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

Affiliate stigma was found to be associated with negative outcomes among parents of children with autism spectrum disorders, but only limited research has explored a potential buffer in this association. The present study examined self-compassion as a potential protective factor. One hundred eighty Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in Hong Kong participated in the study. After controlling for various types of social support (i.e., family support, friends support, and professional support) and positive parental perception, results of a hierarchical linear regression showed that affiliate stigma was significantly associated with psychological distress. In addition, the results identified self-compassion as a moderator in the association between affiliate stigma and psychological distress. Specifically, affiliate stigma was found to be significantly associated with psychological distress among parents with low levels of self-compassion but not among parents with high levels of self-compassion. These results pointed to the importance of cultivating self-compassion among parents of children with autism spectrum disorders. Future research may further explore the protective role of self-compassion in other stigmatized populations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Houston, Fred J. Heyne Building Rm 126, 3695 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, TX, 77204-5022, USA

    Celia C. Y. Wong

  2. Department of Psychology, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 3/F, Sino Building, Shatin, N. T., Hong Kong

    Winnie W. S. Mak

  3. Department of Counseling, Administration, Supervision, and Adult Learning, College of Education and Human Services, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Kelly Yu-Hsin Liao

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  1. Celia C. Y. Wong
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  2. Winnie W. S. Mak
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  3. Kelly Yu-Hsin Liao
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Correspondence to Celia C. Y. Wong.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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Wong, C.C.Y., Mak, W.W.S. & Liao, K.YH. Self-Compassion: a Potential Buffer Against Affiliate Stigma Experienced by Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Mindfulness 7, 1385–1395 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12671-016-0580-2

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