Parenting stress and family quality of life among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder in the early post-diagnosis stage: The mediating role of parenting self-efficacy.

Authors

Linlin Zhou, Mengqi Duan, Yushen Dai, Wen Zhang, Miaoying Chen, Min Xu, Mengyu Cai, Lifeng Zhang

Published in

Journal of pediatric nursing. Sep 21, 2026. Epub Sep 21, 2026.

Abstract

To examine the mediating role of parenting self-efficacy in the association between parenting stress and family quality of life (FQOL) among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the early post-diagnosis stage.
A convenience sample of 220 parents of children with ASD was recruited in a tertiary hospital in Guangzhou, China from September 2022 to August 2023. Participants completed the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale, the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, and the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale. Mediation was tested using Hayes' PROCESS macro.
The total FQOL score was 85.88 ± 18.98. Among FQOL domains, satisfaction was highest for family interaction and lowest for disability-related support. After controlling for covariates, parenting stress demonstrated a significant direct effect on FQOL (β = -0.173, P < 0.05) and a significant indirect effect through parenting self-efficacy (β = -0.080, 95% CI = [-0.154, -0.026]). The indirect effect accounted for 31.5% of the total effect.
FQOL among parents of children with ASD in the early post-diagnosis stage was at a moderate level. Parenting self-efficacy partially mediated the association between parenting stress and FQOL. Interventions targeting both parenting stress and parenting self-efficacy might improve FQOL in this population.
Pediatric nurses and community providers should address both parenting stress and parenting self-efficacy when supporting families of children newly diagnosed with ASD. Parental needs should be assessed alongside child-focused care, and timely psychoeducation and referrals to parenting programs and social services should be provided.

PMID:
42767910
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 22 Sep 2026.

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