Stumbling Block in Providing Physical Activity Support Among Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Moderated Mediation Analysis.

Minghui and team asked 274 parents of kids with autism one big question. Why do some parents give lots of physical activity support while others hold back?

The parents filled out a short survey. They rated how much stigma they feel, how confident they are in helping their child move more, and how much support they actually give.

The researchers used a smart stats model. They tested if self-efficacy sits between stigma and support, and if brothers or sisters change the chain.

Self-efficacy is the middle piece. When stigma goes up, confidence goes down, and support drops.

Having a typically developing sibling flips the switch. With a sibling in the house, the stigma-efficacy link gets weaker, so support stays higher.

Feng et al. (2025) ran a similar parent survey in China. They found mindfulness lowers stress by boosting resilience and flexibility. Both studies show parent mindset is the engine, not the child’s label.

Stewart et al. (2018) pooled 19 trials of parent coaching. They saw small gains in child skills. Minghui et al. now say parent confidence is the active part you should target.

Muskat et al. (2016) interviewed parents about stigma in emergency rooms. Minghui shows stigma also sneaks into everyday choices like park time or swim class.

You can’t erase stigma from strangers, but you can grow parent self-efficacy fast. Add quick wins: show a parent how to break a jump into three steps, give praise, and watch the child succeed. If the family has only one child with autism, build extra supports—buddy programs or sibling play nights—to mimic the buffer effect. Track parent confidence as your primary data point; it predicts real-world activity minutes better than any skill sheet.