Abstract
Emerging quantitative research found self-compassion to be a unique predictor of parental stress in parents of children with ASD above other predictors. However, research on the lived experience of self-compassion in families of children with ASD is limited. Using a qualitative thematic analysis approach, 19 mothers of children with ASD with a mean age of 39.19 years (SD = 3.56, Range = 31.00–50.00 years) were interviewed about their lived experiences of stress and self-compassion. Themes derived from interviews include: the impact and causes of stress, benefits of self-compassion, barriers to self-compassion, and aids to self-compassion. The findings deepen our understanding of the experience of self-compassion in this population. Limitations and future directions are discussed.
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We thank the parents who participated in this research. This research was completed as part of a PhD.
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GB conceived the study, co-ordinated the study, conducted the interviews and collected the data, assisted with design and completion of thematic analyses, and drafted the manuscript, as well as revised the manuscript according to the reviewers’ comments. JP and SM assisted with co-ordination of the study, the design of the analysis, the inter-rating coding, the revision of the manuscript, and interpretation of the findings. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Bohadana, G., Morrissey, S. & Paynter, J. Self-Compassion in Mothers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Qualitative Analysis. J Autism Dev Disord 51, 1290–1303 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04612-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04612-2