Navigating Psychological Distress and Sense of Coherence among Family Caregivers of Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Indirect Effects of Affiliate Stigma and Subjective Well-being

Background: Caring for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) is an incredibly stressful task for family caregivers who lack professional nursing training. As a result, psychological distress is common among family caregivers, and their suffering is often exacerbated by internalized public stigma (affiliate stigma) and diminished subjective well-being (SWB). This study aimed to explain how variations in caregivers’ psychological distress relate to their sense of coherence (SOC). We assumed that affiliate stigma and SWB would significantly explain the link between SOC and psychological distress. Materials and Methods: We conducted this cross-sectional study involving 250 Assamese–Indian family caregivers (29 males and 221 females) of children with NDDs, selected through purposive sampling. Self-report measures were utilized to evaluate these constructs. Correlational and path analyses with the percentile bootstrap method were used to test our hypotheses. Results: The results revealed that SOC emerged as a significant predictor of psychological distress and affiliate stigma, and it was inversely related to them. Furthermore, affiliate stigma and negative affect showed a positive correlation with psychological distress, while life satisfaction and positive affect showed a negative correlation with it. Path analyses revealed that reduced affiliate stigma and altered SWB significantly mediated the relationship between SOC and psychological distress. Conclusions: Our study concluded that the inverse association between SOC and psychological distress is sequentially mediated by affiliate stigma and SWB. This study supports Antonovsky’s salutogenic theory, suggesting that positive adaptive resources aid in maintaining well-being during challenging situations.