Predictors of well-being among mothers of children with autism in Lebanon -

Abstract

There has been a great interest in the recent literature in the well-being of mothers whose children have autism. Studies have examined child behavioral problems, coping styles, and social support as factors impacting maternal well-being. Along with the aforementioned predictors, the current study delineated formal and informal social support and assessed for social desirability bias, knowledge about ASD, maternal locus of control, and empowerment. This study also examined the efficacy of a training lecture that was designed to increase knowledge about autism. For participation in this study, mothers were recruited from various schools and organizations that educate or treat children with autism. Mothers were provided with a survey battery consisting of pre-training assessments of all targeted variables, then they were presented with the training followed by post-training assessments of knowledge about autism, empowerment, and well-being. Results demonstrated that distraction coping and locus of control were significant predictors of maternal well-being. Social desirability was correlated with maternal well-being. The training did not enhance knowledge about ASD, empowerment, and maternal well-being at posttest. Interpretation of empirical and anecdotal findings, and limitations were further discussed.