Parental Self-Efficacy and Behavioral Problems in Children with Autism During COVID-19: A Moderated Mediation Model of Parenting Stress and Perceived Social Support

Shu Dan Chen; Yun Yu; Xing Kai Li; Sui Qing Chen; Jie Ren

doi:10.2147/PRBM.S327377

Parental Self-Efficacy and Behavioral Problems in Children with Autism During COVID-19: A Moderated Mediation Model of Parenting Stress and Perceived Social Support

Psychol Res Behav Manag. 2021 Aug 14:14:1291-1301. doi: 10.2147/PRBM.S327377. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Shu Dan Chen¹, Yun Yu², Xing Kai Li¹, Sui Qing Chen¹, Jie Ren¹

Affiliations

¹ School of Education, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.
² Guangzhou Haizhu Foreign Language School, Guangzhou, People's Republic of China.

Abstract

Purpose: COVID-19 pandemic has been verified as a public health emergency of international concern. During the special period, the health of vulnerable groups, such as children with autism, should be concerned. Some studies have been carried out to investigate the behavioral problems of children with autism during the COVID-19, but underlying mechanisms behind it is not clear. This study examines the role of parenting stress as a mediator in the relationship between parental self-efficacy and behavioral problems in Chinese children as well as the role of perceived social support as a moderator for this mediation effect.

Methods: A total of 439 parents of children with autism (mean age=40.17, SD=5.26) were surveyed and completed five questionnaires (Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire, Parental Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form 15, Perceived Social Support Questionnaire, and Neuroticism Extraversion Openness Five Factor Inventory). The statistical analyses were conducted by SPSS 26.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro.

Results: Controlling for neuroticism, which is highly associated with psychological changes in parents, the study found that parental self-efficacy was significantly and negatively correlated with behavioral problems in children with autism. In addition, the relationship between parental self-efficacy and behavioral problems was mediated by parenting stress. Furthermore, parenting stress moderated the indirect relationship between parental self-efficacy and behavioral problems via perceived social support.

Conclusion: These results provide direct evidences for the inextricable relationship between family, social factors and behavioral problems of children with autism. It suggest that improving perceived social support to enhance parental self-efficacy is critical to buffering against parenting stress and stabilizing children with autism during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Keywords: COVID-19; behavioral problems; children with autism; moderated mediation model; parental self-efficacy.

Grants and funding

This study was funded by the Humanity and Social Science Foundation of Ministry of Education, grant number 19YJCZH010 and The Guangdong Higher Education Project on Characteristic Major (Special Education).