Identifying Family Resilience Profiles in Chinese ASD Families: Associations With Social Support, Posttraumatic Growth and Family Stressors.

BACKGROUND

Families with children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often encounter significant challenges, manifesting in elevated stress levels and compromised physical and mental well-being.

METHODS

This study employed Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) to comprehensively examine family resilience attributes among 328 Chinese parents of children with ASD. Drawing on Walsh's family resilience framework and the Double ABCX stress-adaptation model, the research examined how protective factors (social support, posttraumatic growth) and risk factors (family stressors) distinctively characterize resilience profiles and predict profile membership, alongside sociodemographic correlates.

RESULTS

Through rigorous statistical analysis, the following three distinct family resilience profiles emerged: adversity (32.31%; characterized by low resilience), ordinary (46.65%; demonstrating moderate resilience) and growth (21.03%; exhibiting high resilience). Critically, the findings revealed that higher family income, perceived social support and posttraumatic growth were associated with higher family resilience, while family stressors were associated with lower family resilience.

CONCLUSIONS

These insights underscore the importance of developing targeted, personalized intervention strategies that can effectively enhance familial coping mechanisms and psychological adaptation for families navigating the complex challenges of ASD.