Mindfulness and parenting stress among parents of autistic children: The mediation of resilience and psychological flexibility

High parenting stress is associated with diminished quality of life in parents and more problem behaviors in autistic children. Mindfulness-based interventions have demonstrated efficacy in mitigating parenting stress. Psychological flexibility and resilience have been recognized as protective factors against psychological distress. However, the extent to which psychological flexibility and resilience mediate the effect of mindfulness on parenting stress among parents of autistic children remains unclear. This cross-sectional study examined the mediating roles of psychological flexibility and resilience in the relationship between mindfulness and parenting stress. We recruited a convenience sample of 181 Chinese parents of autistic children from Shenzhen Longhua Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital in Shenzhen, China. This study assessed characteristics, parents' mindfulness, psychological flexibility, resilience, and parenting stress. Results indicated that parents experienced considerable parenting stress. Correlation analysis found that higher mindfulness, psychological flexibility, and resilience were associated with lower parenting stress. After controlling for children's age, gender, core symptom severity, parents' age, gender, marital status, and education levels, psychological flexibility and resilience completely mediated the relationship between mindfulness and parenting stress. These findings suggest that multicomponent psychological interventions may enhance the mental health of parents of children with autism, warranting further investigation.Lay AbstractRaising a child with autism spectrum disorder can be very stressful for parents, and this stress can lead to serious problems, like diminished quality of life in parents and more challenging behaviors in autistic children. But there's something called mindfulness that can help parents feel less stressed. Mindfulness is like training your mind to stay calm and focused. It's like learning to take a deep breath and find calm in a busy day. Our study in China investigated 181 parents of children with autism from Shenzhen Longhua Maternity and Child Healthcare Hospital in Shenzhen, China. We wanted to see if two things-being able to bounce back from hard times (resilience) and being flexible in how you think and act (psychological flexibility)-help mindfulness work its magic in easing stress. We found that more mindful parents also felt less stressed. Moreover, having psychological flexibility and resilience seemed to be the reason why mindfulness was so helpful. After controlling for covariates including children's age, gender, core symptom severity, parents' age, gender, marital status, occupational status, and education levels, the effects of mindfulness on stress still existed. This tells us that programs that teach mindfulness, along with how to build resilience and be more flexible in thinking, could make a difference for parents of children with autism. It could help them feel less stressed and more at peace.