Affiliate stigma and marital satisfaction in Spanish parents of children with intellectual disabilities.

Abstract

Parents tend to experience more stress when their children have intellectual disabilities (ID), and this stress often increases the frequency of family conflicts. Previous research has shown that disability in children negatively impacts marital relationships. The present study analyzes, with reference to the double ABCX model of family adaptation, the association between affiliate stigma (parents' internalization of the stigma borne for their children) as a stressor and the parents' marital satisfaction as an adaptation outcome variable, considering two mediating variables: parents' perceived social support and parents' self-efficacy. The study sample comprises 197 Spanish fathers (31%) and mothers (69%) raising children with ID. Most participants' children had been diagnosed with Down's syndrome (37.1%) or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with ID (34%). Our study shows that, as predicted, affiliate stigma is inversely associated with marital satisfaction in parents of children with ID and that perceived social support and self-efficacy play a significant mediational role in this association. These findings may contribute to guiding practitioners and social services on how to enhance protective factors and mitigate risk factors influencing family adaptation. Clinical Impact StatementThis research shows the important impact of affiliate stigma on marital satisfaction of parents who have children with intellectual disabilities. Specifically, it examines whether social support and self-efficacy may serve as protective factors by preventing the negative consequences of parental affiliate stigma on marital satisfaction. Thus, the findings have implications for theory, research, and practice.

The stigma of intellectual disability in Spain: a nationally representative survey

“…However, living with a person with intellectual disability is shown to be a risk factor for worse attitudes. One plausible explanation is that it is related to affiliation stigma, insofar as family members of the person with intellectual disability become aware of the social stigma suffered by their relatives and acquire attitudes concomitant with affiliation stigma (Mitter et al, 2019;Molero et al, 2023). These negative attitudes may also be due to caregiver distress (Hoare et al, 1998).…”

“…Eventually, the family of a person with an intellectual disability may also internalise the stigma suffered by this family member, thus giving rise to affiliation stigma (Recio et al, 2020). This stigma is compounded as a stressor that worsens family relationships and generates conflict (Molero et al, 2023).…”