Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between mindfulness in the mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and coping with stress styles and parental burnout, and to test the mediatory role of coping with stress styles.
Methods: The research was performed using a cross-sectional design. Seventy-one mothers of children with ASD were included. The participants were administered the Mindfulness in Parenting Questionnaire, the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Relationships were examined using correlation analysis, and mediatory effects using the bootstrap method.
Results: Mindfulness in parenting exhibited a negative correlation with the burnout depersonalization subdimension (r = -0.337, p = .008), and a significant positive correlation with the personal accomplishment subdimension (r = 0.548, p ˂ .001). Mediation showed that the helpless approach (b = -0.045, BootSE=0.026, 95% BCa CI [-0.107, -0.005]) and submissive approach (b= 0.036, BootSE=0.021, 95% BCa CI [0.002, 0.082]) coping styles played a partial mediatory role in the protective effect of mindfulness on depersonalization. However, no statistically significant mediatory role was observed for coping styles in the effects of mindfulness on emotional exhaustion or personal accomplishment.
Conclusion: The results suggest that mindfulness-based interventions may be effective in reducing burnout in the mothers of children with ASD by targeting negative coping strategies in particular. The integration of psychoeducational components into intervention programs in order that mothers can recognize non-functional coping styles may therefore be recommended.

Key words: Autism spectrum disorder, mindfulness in parenting, parental burnout, coping styles, mediation analysis