Resilience and social support as predictors of post-traumatic growth in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in Saudi Arabia.
Helping moms feel capable and connected to friends turns an ASD diagnosis into a growth opportunity.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Ebrahim et al. (2021) asked Saudi moms of children with autism to fill out three short surveys. The team wanted to know if a mother's own resilience and the support she gets from friends, family, or professionals predict post-traumatic growth.
Post-traumatic growth means positive life changes that can follow a stressful event like receiving an autism diagnosis.
What they found
Two things stood out. Moms who rated themselves as highly competent coped better and reported more growth. Support coming specifically from friends also boosted growth, while support from family or professionals did not.
The study shows that personal belief in one's skills plus a solid friend network can turn crisis into growth.
How this fits with other research
Brian et al. (2022) tested hybrid parent coaching for toddlers with ASD and saw big social gains. Their work extends Tawakkul's idea: when you strengthen parents, kids benefit too.
Becerra et al. (2021) used photographic activity schedules to lift physical activity in preschoolers with autism. Both studies target self-management themes, but Becerra focuses on child skills while Tawakkul looks at parent mindset.
Kaya et al. (2025) interviewed UAE moms who said household pets helped their children talk more and stay calm. Both papers capture Gulf-region parent voices, yet Ali centers on child behavior and Tawakkul on parent growth, so they complement rather than clash.
Why it matters
If you coach parents, target competence first. Add a peer-group element so moms can trade tips and feel less alone. A quick win: start each parent training with a five-minute share-out where caregivers tell one thing they handled well this week. This tiny ritual builds the exact 'I can do it' thinking and friend support that predicted growth in Saudi moms.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: There are few studies about the role of resilience and social support in post-traumatic growth (PTG) in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). AIM: This study examined the relationship between social support, resilience, and PTG and the predictive role of resilience and social support related to PTG in Saudi Arabian mothers. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A survey-based quantitative study was conducted in 88 mothers aged 18-46 years (M = 33.5; SD = 8.02) who had a child with ASD. They were sampled from nine day care centers in Riyadh and the Central-Eastern-Southern region. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: The findings showed a significant positive correlation between perceived social support, resilience, and PTG, and revealed that Resilience-competence was the only significant predictor of PTG-personal strength, appreciation of life, spiritual change new possibilities, and total PTG, while positive acceptance of change was a significant predictor of PTG-relating to others. Moreover, social support from friends and significant others were significant predictors of PTG-total. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: We found that, for mothers of a child with ASD in Saudi Arabia, the biggest factors predicting post-traumatic growth were a notion of personal competence and social support from friends. Intervention is suggested to lower the risk of trauma.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2021 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2021.103943