Volume 31, Issue 1 (3-2024)
RJMS 2024, 31(1): 1-9 |
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Ethics code: IR.IAU.M.REC.1403.259
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Karimi L A, Sohrabi Shakfati N, Barzegar M, Bagholi H. The Mediating Role of Parents' Self-Efficacy in the Relationship between Parents' Psychological Flexibility and Children's Social-Communication Skills and Behavioral Performance. RJMS 2024; 31 (1) :1-9
URL: http://rjms.iums.ac.ir/article-1-7792-en.html
URL: http://rjms.iums.ac.ir/article-1-7792-en.html
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Marvdasht Branch, Islamic Azad University, Marvdasht, Iran , sohrabi_sh2006@yahoo.com
Abstract: (115 Views)
Background & Aims: Autism is a type of developmental disorder that manifests itself with defects in communication and social interactions and has been described as a lifelong neurological disorder. People with autism disorder are not able to perform their social skills and roles, and the symptoms of this disorder appear before the age of three. Children with autism disorder have problems in verbal and non-verbal communication, and social interactions, and have stereotyped and repetitive behaviors. Several studies have investigated the role of psychological flexibility processes in parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder. To prevent challenging behaviors, self-efficacy is a fundamental concept to improve the behavior of parents with autistic children. If parents can increase their self-efficacy in preventing their children's problematic behaviors, they can improve their empowerment in response to such behavior. In this way, parents can respond to their children's feelings, get an opportunity to provide mental peace, and ensure the physical safety of their children. As a result, parents acquire, maintain, and improve opportunities for social participation of their children and promote their growth and development. According to the mentioned materials, this research aims to investigate the mediating role of parents' self-efficacy in the relationship between parents' psychological flexibility and communication skills, social skills, and behavioral performance of children with autism spectrum disorders.
Methods: The current research is descriptive and has a correlation model in which the path analysis model was used to obtain the relationship between the variables. The statistical population included mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder in Shiraz city, and the sampling method was available. In this research, all children with autism spectrum disorder who were being trained in autism centers for at least one year are included, and all members of the sample were diagnosed with autism by a special is Parents completed the parent questionnaires, and the child questionnaire by the teacher. Questionnaires used in this research included Gresham and Elliott's (1990) social skills scale, Nomeka et al.'s (1996) parenting self-efficacy scale, and acceptance and action questionnaire.
Results: The results showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between acceptance and action with parents' self-efficacy; there is a positive and significant relationship between social skills and social skills at an error level of less than 0.05, and there is a significant negative relationship between parental self-efficacy and problematic behaviors at an error level of less than 0.05. Also, the results showed that all the index values of the modified model are close to the suitability criteria and indicate the desirable and acceptable adequacy of the structural model. It was also observed that the path coefficient between psychological flexibility and social skills without mediating variables is 0.52, which is significant at an error level of less than 0.05. With the inclusion of the mediating variable of parental self-efficacy, the path coefficient between psychological flexibility and social skill has decreased to 0.48; the coefficient of the path between psychological flexibility and problematic behaviors without mediating variables is 0.41, which is significant at an error level of less than 0.05. With the inclusion of the mediating variable of parental self-efficacy, the path coefficient between psychological flexibility and problematic behaviors has decreased to 0.31. Therefore, it can be said that the mediator variable has played its role well, and the hypothesis of the research that parental self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between parents' psychological flexibility and social skills and problematic behaviors is confirmed.
Conclusion: In explaining the results of this research, it can be said that the family plays an important role in bearing the effects of an accident or illness of a family member, especially children, and one of the most stressful experiences for any family is managing a disabled or sick child. Autistic parents' reaction to their child's disorder depends on their flexibility in facing the problem. Accepting having a child with autistic disorder, instead of experiencing tolerance and avoidance, can to a large extent cause psychological flexibility so that parents can change their attitude towards the situation and, as a result, improve other functional indicators of autistic children. Also, other dimensions of acceptance, including fault, self as a context and connection with the present time by strengthening the observer's self, gives a person the ability to observe the painful events of life without interpretation and interpretation, and the dimensions of value and commitment also lead to practical and objective actions for Improving the quality of a person's life will be equal to what he likes. In explaining the mediation of parents' self-efficacy in the relationship between parents' psychological flexibility and communication skills, and the social and behavioral performance of children with autism spectrum disorders, it can be said that parents' low self-efficacy is related to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and high psychosomatic symptoms. In the high self-efficacy of parents, they choose the challenging issues and goals of their children as tasks that they can do skillfully, and they have a deep commitment towards them. It is this self-efficacy that makes them continue to help their children with social skills and better behavioral performance after being disappointed or facing a disappointing experience.
Methods: The current research is descriptive and has a correlation model in which the path analysis model was used to obtain the relationship between the variables. The statistical population included mothers of children with an autism spectrum disorder in Shiraz city, and the sampling method was available. In this research, all children with autism spectrum disorder who were being trained in autism centers for at least one year are included, and all members of the sample were diagnosed with autism by a special is Parents completed the parent questionnaires, and the child questionnaire by the teacher. Questionnaires used in this research included Gresham and Elliott's (1990) social skills scale, Nomeka et al.'s (1996) parenting self-efficacy scale, and acceptance and action questionnaire.
Results: The results showed that there is a positive and significant relationship between acceptance and action with parents' self-efficacy; there is a positive and significant relationship between social skills and social skills at an error level of less than 0.05, and there is a significant negative relationship between parental self-efficacy and problematic behaviors at an error level of less than 0.05. Also, the results showed that all the index values of the modified model are close to the suitability criteria and indicate the desirable and acceptable adequacy of the structural model. It was also observed that the path coefficient between psychological flexibility and social skills without mediating variables is 0.52, which is significant at an error level of less than 0.05. With the inclusion of the mediating variable of parental self-efficacy, the path coefficient between psychological flexibility and social skill has decreased to 0.48; the coefficient of the path between psychological flexibility and problematic behaviors without mediating variables is 0.41, which is significant at an error level of less than 0.05. With the inclusion of the mediating variable of parental self-efficacy, the path coefficient between psychological flexibility and problematic behaviors has decreased to 0.31. Therefore, it can be said that the mediator variable has played its role well, and the hypothesis of the research that parental self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship between parents' psychological flexibility and social skills and problematic behaviors is confirmed.
Conclusion: In explaining the results of this research, it can be said that the family plays an important role in bearing the effects of an accident or illness of a family member, especially children, and one of the most stressful experiences for any family is managing a disabled or sick child. Autistic parents' reaction to their child's disorder depends on their flexibility in facing the problem. Accepting having a child with autistic disorder, instead of experiencing tolerance and avoidance, can to a large extent cause psychological flexibility so that parents can change their attitude towards the situation and, as a result, improve other functional indicators of autistic children. Also, other dimensions of acceptance, including fault, self as a context and connection with the present time by strengthening the observer's self, gives a person the ability to observe the painful events of life without interpretation and interpretation, and the dimensions of value and commitment also lead to practical and objective actions for Improving the quality of a person's life will be equal to what he likes. In explaining the mediation of parents' self-efficacy in the relationship between parents' psychological flexibility and communication skills, and the social and behavioral performance of children with autism spectrum disorders, it can be said that parents' low self-efficacy is related to symptoms of anxiety, depression, and high psychosomatic symptoms. In the high self-efficacy of parents, they choose the challenging issues and goals of their children as tasks that they can do skillfully, and they have a deep commitment towards them. It is this self-efficacy that makes them continue to help their children with social skills and better behavioral performance after being disappointed or facing a disappointing experience.
Keywords: Parental Self-Efficacy, Psychological Flexibility, Social-Communication Skills, Behavioral Performance
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Clinical Psychiatry
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