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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Public Mental Health
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1454004

Moderating effects of general self-efficacy on courtesy stigma and anxiety and depressive symptoms of parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

Provisionally accepted
Jiao Tong Jiao Tong 1Xu Chen Xu Chen 1Bin Wang Bin Wang 2Tao Wang Tao Wang 1*Xue Wang Xue Wang 1*Shan Ma Shan Ma 1*Dongdong Shi Dongdong Shi 1*Xin Wang Xin Wang 1*Dongmei Yan Dongmei Yan 1,3*
  • 1 Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang, China
  • 2 First Affiliated Hospital, Dalian Medical University, Dalian, Liaoning Province, China
  • 3 Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Lianyungang, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Background: Stigma, anxiety and depressive symptoms are highly prevalent in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and may have a detrimental impact on the rehabilitation and treatment of children with ASD, ultimately leading to more behavioral issues and higher rates of disability. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to identify the association between general selfefficacy, courtesy stigma, and anxiety and depressive symptoms, and to further discuss whether general self-efficacy moderated the association between courtesy stigma and anxiety and depressive symptoms in parents of children with ASD.Methods: A total of 409 parents of children with ASD from Lianyungang, Jiangsu Province, Eastern China participated in a cross-sectional survey. A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic characteristics, courtesy stigma, general self-efficacy, anxiety symptoms, and depressive symptoms. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to assess the associations of courtesy stigma, general self-efficacy and courtesy stigma × general self-efficacy interaction with anxiety and depressive symptoms. Simple slope analysis was used to visualize the interaction.The courtesy stigma of parents of children with ASD was positively correlated with anxiety (B = 0.374, P < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (B = 0.366, P < 0.001). General self-efficacy was negatively correlated with anxiety (B = -0.200, P < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (B = -0.210, P < 0.001). The association between courtesy stigma and anxiety symptoms was different in the high (1 standard deviation (SD) above the mean, b = 0.258, standard error (SE) = 0.056, t = 4.567, P < 0.001) and low (1 SD below the mean, b = 0.470, SE = 0.053, t = 8.870, P < 0.001) groups of general self-efficacy. In addition, the association between courtesy stigma and depressive symptoms was also different in the high (1 SD above the mean, b = 0.241, SE = 0.056, t = 4.268, P < 0.001) and low (1 SD below the mean, b = 0.469, SE = 0.053, t = 8.844, P < 0.001) groups of general selfefficacy.Conclusions: General self-efficacy could moderate the impact of courtesy stigma on anxiety and depressive symptoms.

    Keywords: Moderating effects, Courtesy stigma, general self-efficacy, Anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, Parents, ASD

    Received: 24 Jun 2024; Accepted: 13 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Tong, Chen, Wang, Wang, Wang, Ma, Shi, Wang and Yan. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Tao Wang, Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang, China
    Xue Wang, Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang, China
    Shan Ma, Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang, China
    Dongdong Shi, Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang, China
    Xin Wang, Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital Affiliated to Kangda College of Nanjing Medical University, Lianyungang, China
    Dongmei Yan, Lianyungang Maternal and Child Health Hospital, Lianyungang, China

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