Modeling linkages between self-efficacy, normalization, and well-being factors among Israeli mothers of children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
When moms feel capable and keep family life normal, their happiness and life satisfaction go up.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Hamama (2022) asked 113 Israeli moms of kids with autism, intellectual disability, or other delays to fill out a survey.
The survey measured how capable the moms felt, how much they used "normal life" coping, and how happy and satisfied they were.
Then the team used a path model to see if feeling capable and using normal-life coping led to better mood and life satisfaction.
What they found
Moms who believed "I can handle this" and who kept family routines normal reported higher life satisfaction and more positive feelings.
The numbers showed both factors together explained a big chunk of the moms' well-being scores.
How this fits with other research
Turk et al. (2010) found family support boosts optimism and well-being in ASD moms; Hamama (2022) adds that moms' own belief in their skills and their "keep it normal" plans matter too.
Lai et al. (2015) reported ASD parents feel more stress and depression than typical parents — an apparent contradiction. The gap closes when you see Wei sampled a broad stress-focused group, while L focused on Israeli moms already using helpful coping.
Gadot et al. (2025) showed work-family conflict raises stress in parents of babies with delays; L extends this by showing positive levers — self-efficacy and normalization — can lift well-being in parents of older children.
Why it matters
You can raise mom morale without adding hours to her day. Build brief check-ins that praise her handling of routines, and coach her to keep ordinary family rituals like pizza night or bedtime stories. These tiny boosts in "I can do this" and "our life is still normal" pay off in measurable happiness.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Parents' well-being may be challenged by the neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) of their children. This study explored general self-efficacy (personal resource) and normalization (coping strategy) and their possible association with mothers' well-being (satisfaction with life/SWL, positive affect, and presence of meaning in life/P-MIL). METHOD: Data were obtained from 127 Israeli mothers, ages 23-63, of children (M = 12.08, SD = 3.39) with NDs (autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, cerebral palsy). All participants completed online self-report questionnaires. RESULTS: After controlling for the effects of group, mother's age, and child's gender, bivariate associations showed that general self-efficacy was positively correlated with SWL (r =.46, p <.001), positive affect (r =.43, p <.001), and P-MIL (r =.37, p <.001). The study's mediation model was partly supported: General self-efficacy was related to normalization, which was related to SWL and positive affect, but not to P-MIL. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This study contributes to the empirical knowledge on well-being in mothers raising children with NDs. Findings revealed that mothers' general self-efficacy alongside their strategy to adopt normalcy substantially contributed to their well-being. Hence, psychosocial services should strengthen general self-efficacy in this cohort and support their normalization efforts.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2022 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2022.104295