Optimism and benefit finding in parents of children with developmental disabilities: The role of positive reappraisal and social support.
Optimism helps parents of children with developmental disabilities find benefits only when it fuels positive reappraisal and social support.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Slattery et al. (2017) asked parents of children with developmental disabilities to fill out surveys. The team wanted to know if optimism helps parents see good things in caregiving.
They tested two stepping-stones: positive reappraisal and social support. The idea was that optimism might first boost these skills, and then parents would report more benefit finding.
What they found
Optimism alone did not directly create benefit finding. Instead, it worked through two paths: parents who stayed upbeat used more positive reappraisal and built stronger social support.
Those two skills then led parents to say, “I have grown from this experience.” In short, optimism helps only when it sparks active coping and community.
How this fits with other research
The finding backs up Pakenham et al. (2004), an earlier survey that linked social support and adaptive coping to benefit finding in parents of children with Asperger syndrome. Slattery et al. (2017) adds the optimism link and shows the order in which the pieces fit.
Feng et al. (2022) extends the story by showing social support can also magnify posttraumatic growth when autism symptoms are severe. Together, the papers say support is not just helpful—it multiplies other positive forces.
Paster et al. (2009) seems to disagree at first glance: parents of kids with disabilities used more escape-avoidance coping than other parents. But the studies ask different questions. Angela compared strategy use across groups, while Éadaoin looked at how one positive trait travels through coping to create growth. Both can be true: parents may lean on escape at times, yet still gain benefit when optimism sparks reappraisal and support.
Why it matters
You can stop telling parents to “just be optimistic.” Instead, teach them to reframe daily hassles and to connect with other caregivers. Add brief reappraisal drills to parent training: after a tough meltdown, ask, “What did you handle well?” Pair new families with veteran parent mentors. These small moves turn optimism into real benefit.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Researchers have consistently documented the relationship between optimism and benefit finding; however, there is a dearth of research on the psychological mechanisms mediating their association. AIM: This cross-sectional study sought to elucidate the mediating role of positive reappraisal and social support in the optimism-benefit finding relationship in parents caring for children with developmental disabilities by testing a parallel multiple mediation model. METHOD: One hundred and forty-six parents caring for children with developmental disabilities completed an online survey assessing optimism, positive reappraisal, social support and benefit finding. RESULTS: Optimism was not directly related to benefit finding but rather influenced it indirectly through positive reappraisal and social support. Specifically, higher levels of optimism predicted greater positive reappraisal and social support, which in turn led to greater benefit finding in parents. CONCLUSION: These results underscore the importance of targeting parents' perceptions of benefits through both positive reappraisal and social support in order to help them cope with the demands of the caregiving context.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2017 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2017.04.006