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The Role of Self-Compassion in the Relationship between Post-Traumatic Growth and Psychological Distress in Caregivers of Children with Autism

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Abstract

Objectives

Caregivers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may experience varying degrees of both psychopathological symptoms and enriched personal growth. The mechanisms underlying these associations are not well understood. The aim of the current study was to explore the relationships between post-traumatic growth (PTG) and psychological distress, namely depression, anxiety and stress among caregivers of autistic children in China, with self-compassion as a potential relating factor.

Methods

One hundred and twenty-one caregivers of children with ASD, ranged in age from 26 to 53, completed the questionnaires. The instruments utilized include a socio demographic questionnaire, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), the Chinese version of the Short Form Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) and the Chinese version of the Short Form Self-Compassion Scale (SCS-SF).

Results

The results showed that there was no significant linear or curvilinear relationship between PTG and psychological distress. PTG indirectly correlated with psychological distress through self-compassion. The positive and negative components of self-compassion uniquely correlated with PTG and psychological distress respectively.

Conclusions

The findings of this study suggested that PTG may play a protective role of mental health among Chinese caregivers of children with ASD through enhancing self-compassion. More importantly, the current study suggested that self-compassion should be better conceptualized in order to move the relevant research forward.

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Author’ Contributions

BSMC and JD co-designed the study, analyzed the data and wrote the manuscript. YL collaborated with the writing of the study. TL collaborated with the editing of the final manuscript. YS assisted with the data collection. YW and LY supervised the whole study and wrote the paper.

Funding

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31700961, 31871116, 31571135), the Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province (2017A030310423), and the Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission (Z171100000117015).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Bella Siu Man Chan, Ju Deng

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, Beijing, China

    Bella Siu Man Chan, Tianbi Li & Li Yi

  2. Department of Psychology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, China

    Ju Deng & Yuyin Wang

  3. Department of Psychology, DePaul University, Chicago, Illinois, USA

    Yan Li

  4. The Mental Health Institute of The Second Xiangya Hospital and Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health of Hunan Province, The Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, China

    Yanmei Shen

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  1. Bella Siu Man Chan
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Correspondence to Yuyin Wang or Li Yi.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the School of Psychological and Cognitive Science, Peking University (2017-06-02), and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Chan, B.S.M., Deng, J., Li, Y. et al. The Role of Self-Compassion in the Relationship between Post-Traumatic Growth and Psychological Distress in Caregivers of Children with Autism. J Child Fam Stud 29, 1692–1700 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-019-01694-0

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