Author ORCID Identifier

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7454-1630

Date Available

5-6-2025

Year of Publication

2025

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

Education

Department/School/Program

Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

Faculty

Dr. Debra Harley

Faculty

Dr. Channon Horn

Abstract

Mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience higher levels of parenting stress than mothers of typically developing children or children with other developmental disabilities, which can undermine their psychological well-being. Additionally, parental stress among mothers of children with ASD is influenced by various demographic factors. This study primarily identified the relationship between parental stress and demographic factors. It also examined the correlations among parental stress, self-compassion, and meaning in life of mothers raising children with ASD within a positive psychology context. Finally, this study investigated whether self-compassion mediates the relationship between parenting stress and two distinct dimensions of meaning in life: the presence of meaning and the search for meaning. While positive psychology emphasizes self-compassion as a psychological resource that fosters well-being, it regards meaning in life as one of its ultimate outcomes. However, little is known about how these two constructs interact in the context of parenting stress among mothers of children with ASD. I gathered and analyzed data from 124 mothers of children with ASD in the United States. While demographic factors showed no relationship with parental stress, except for a positive correlation with higher income, the interplay between stress, self-compassion, and meaning in life revealed important insights. Specifically, parental stress was negatively correlated with self-compassion, and self-compassion was positively associated with the presence of meaning and negatively associated with the search for meaning. Parental stress was positively correlated with the search for meaning but showed no direct correlation with the presence of meaning. Mediation analyses indicated that self-compassion significantly mediated the relationship between parental stress and both meaning outcomes. Specifically, higher parental stress led to lower self-compassion, which in turn predicted lower presence of meaning (β = -.177, 95% CI [-.318, -.062]) and higher search for meaning (β = .125, 95% CI [.023, .251]). Interestingly, a significant direct positive effect of parental stress on the presence of meaning was also observed (β = .312, p = .004), suggesting a dual pathway in which stress not only undermines self-compassion but may also independently motivates mothers to find meaning in their caregiving experiences. The results underscore the importance of fostering self-compassion not only to reduce stress but also to support more adaptive and sustainable meaningful life-related processes in the lives of mothers. By integrating two constructs central to positive psychology—self-compassion and meaning in life—this study provides both theoretical insights and practical implications.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

https://doi.org/10.13023/etd.2025.88

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