Perceived Stress and Depressive Symptoms Among Mothers of Children with ASD After the Recent Earthquakes in Türkiye: The Mediating Role of Perceived Social Support.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate perceived stress, depressive symptoms, and social support among mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to mothers of typically developing (TD) children following major earthquakes in Türkiye. Additionally, to examine whether perceived social support mediates the relationship between stress and depressive symptoms in mothers of children with ASD.

Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted between April 2023 and September 2023. The participants consist of mothers of children with ASD (n = 77) and mothers of TD children (n = 122). The data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The data were analyzed using the IBM SPSS program and Process Macro v3.5 package.

Results: The results of the study showed that mothers of children with ASD had higher stress and depressive symptoms and lower social support than mothers of TD children. It was revealed that the perceived stress predicted 29.0% of the perceived social support (R²). The perceived stress, along with the perceived social support, explained 56.6% of the variation in depressive symptoms in mothers of children with ASD.

Conclusion: Increasing perceived social support for mothers of children with ASD could be an effective way to reduce psychological distress following a disaster.