Marital Satisfaction, Social Stigma and Mental Health in Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) frequently experience mental health challenges due to caregiving demands, social stigma, and marital challenges, which may adversely affect their mental health. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between marital satisfaction, social stigma, andmental health among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder. Using a correlational research design, data were collected over the course of the study through purposive sampling from parents whose children from 3 to 13 years of age were receiving educational, therapeutic, and early intervention services at public and private institutions of Faisalabad. The study employed a demographic information sheet, the Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale Urdu Version ( Anjum, 2024), the Social Stigma Scale Urdu Version (Mazhar & Qurban, 2020), and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale Urdu Version (Aslam & Kamal, 2017). Descriptive statistics were used to summarize participants’ characteristics, while Pearson product–moment correlation, multiple regression analysis, and independent-samples t-tests were conducted to examine the proposed relationships. The findings indicated that greater marital satisfaction was associated with lower levels of social stigma and less mental health challenges. Social stigma showed a strong positive association with mental health problems and emerged as the most influential predictor of mental health outcomes. Furthermore, marital satisfaction and social stigma together accounted for a substantial proportion of variance in parents’ mental health. No significant differences were observed based on parent gender, child gender, or sibling impairment. The findings emphasize the need for psycho-social interventions aimed at reducing social stigma and strengthening marital relationships to improve the mental health and well-being of parents raising children with ASD.