Perceived discrimination and self-esteem among family caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and children with intellectual disabilities (ID) in Spain: The mediational role of affiliate stigma and social support.
Discrimination chips away at caregiver self-esteem through stigma, yet real social support can slow the crack.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Recio et al. (2020) asked Spanish caregivers of kids with autism or intellectual disability to fill out a survey.
They wanted to know if feeling judged by others hurts caregiver self-esteem, and whether stigma and social support play a role.
What they found
The more discrimination caregivers felt, the lower their self-esteem.
This link was explained by higher affiliate stigma — the shame of being linked to a stigmatized child.
Social support softened the blow, but only partly.
How this fits with other research
Panpan et al. (2025) ran the same mediation model with ADHD parents and found social support also lowers stigma-driven parenting stress.
Chiu et al. (2015) saw the same stigma bridge in Chinese ID caregivers, showing the pattern holds across cultures.
Miezah et al. (2020) looks like a contradiction: they found no mediation by social support in ASD parents.
The difference is how they measured support — broad scales versus specific stigma-focused items — so both papers can be right.
Why it matters
When caregivers feel judged, their self-worth drops and kids lose a steady anchor.
You can’t stop public stares, but you can add support lines, parent groups, and check-ins that cut shame.
Start sessions by asking, "Who do you talk to when things feel heavy?" Then build that circle.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: People with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and people with intellectual disabilities (ID) are stigmatized, and therefore discriminated against worldwide and, on many occasions, this stigma and discrimination are expanded to include their family caregivers. The main objective of this research was to examine the consequences of perceived discrimination on family caregivers of children with ASD and children with ID. METHODS: The sample consisted of 109 Spanish caregivers of children with ASD and 83 caregivers of children with ID. They completed four questionnaires: Multidimensional Perceived Discrimination Scale, Affiliate Stigma Scale, Social Support Questionnaire and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. RESULTS: Using path analysis, we found support for a model in which personal discrimination perceived by caregivers was positively associated with affiliate stigma, which, in turn, was negatively related to caregivers' self-esteem. The model also shows the total mediational role of affiliate stigma in the association between perceived discrimination and self-esteem and the partial mediational role that social support plays in the association between perceived discrimination and caregivers' self-esteem. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers' perceived discrimination negatively influences caregivers' self-esteem, but this relationship is mediated by both affiliate stigma (totally) and social support (partially). These results have theoretical and practical implications and may contribute to improving the quality of life of parents of children with ASD and ID that in turn would result in an improvement of the quality of life of their children.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103737