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The Mediating Role of Social Support in the Relationship Between Parenting Stress and Resilience Among Chinese Parents of Children with Disability

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Abstract

Few studies have examined the relationships among parents’ resilience, parenting stress, and social support. This study surveyed 486 parents of children with disability in China to understand the role of social support between parenting stress and parents’ resilience. The results indicated that the resilience of Chinese parents of children with disabilities was at a high level. Additionally, parenting stress, social support and resilience were significantly associated, and the mediating effect of social support between parenting stress and parents’ resilience were proved by mediation analyses. The findings suggested that reducing parental stress and improving social support may predict (or be associated with) improved parent resilience. The authors discussed the implications for the improvement the resilience of Chinese parents of children with disabilities.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the participating parents and the staff in collaborating schools and rehabilitation centers for their assistance in survey dissemination and data collection.

Funding

This research is funded by Grant No. 18YJC880140, Grant No. 20YJC880015 from the Department of Social Sciences, Ministry of Education, People’s Republic of China, and Grant No. 110003250805 from China Women’s Women’s University.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Children Development and Education, China Women’s University, Beijing, 100000, China

    Meiju Zhao

  2. China Institute of Education and Social Development, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875, China

    Wangqian Fu

  3. Juniper Gardens Children’s Project, University of Kansas, 444 Minnesota Avenue, Suite 300, Kansas City, KS, 66101-2914, USA

    Jun Ai

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  1. Meiju Zhao
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  3. Jun Ai
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ZMJ designed the study, collected the data, and wrote the manuscript. FWQ analyzed the data and wrote the paper. AJ revised the manuscript critically for important intellectual content and edited its APA7 style.

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Correspondence to Wangqian Fu.

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Zhao, M., Fu, W. & Ai, J. The Mediating Role of Social Support in the Relationship Between Parenting Stress and Resilience Among Chinese Parents of Children with Disability. J Autism Dev Disord 51, 3412–3422 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04806-8

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