Parenting Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Parents of Children With Autism: Perspectives From Singapore.

Parenting Self-Efficacy Beliefs in Parents of Children With Autism: Perspectives From Singapore. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2016 Apr 14; Authors: Chong WH, Kua SM Abstract Substantial empirical evidence has highlighted the psychological stress and negative well-being of parents whose children are diagnosed with autism. It has further indicated a need for understanding the mechanisms through which these parents come to successfully meet the challenges of caregiving for these children whose condition are often characterized by persistent behavioral, social, and communication problems. This qualitative study aims to bridge the research gap in 3 ways. First, we sought to understand the ways in which mothers of children having autism foster their parenting self-efficacy (PSE) when caring for their child. Second, we sought to identify additional PSE sources. Third, we attempted to understand how these mothers successfully manage negative experiences that were often in the way of their parenting efforts. Ten mothers with children between 7 and 9 years of age were interviewed. Bandura's social-cognitive framework guided the analyses of the sources of PSE (Bandura, 1997). Mastery experiences were identified as the most critical PSE source, and the physiological and affective states of the mothers were second most important in shaping their PSE. Vicarious experiences and verbal persuasion did not emerge as salient sources. "Support in parenting" wa...
Source: The American Journal of Orthopsychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Tags: Am J Orthopsychiatry Source Type: research