Autism Related Stigma and Psychological Well Being among Parents of Children with Autism

Parents of children with autism often manage not only the practical and emotional demands of caregiving, but also negative social responses toward their children and family. This literature review examines how autism-related stigma is associated with the psychological well-being of parents. Studies from Malaysia and other cultural settings were synthesised to explain the different forms of stigma experienced by parents, including public stigma, enacted stigma, courtesy stigma, perceived stigma, affiliate stigma, and self-stigma. The reviewed evidence indicates that repeated judgement, blame, exclusion, and misunderstanding may gradually be internalised by parents, contributing to shame, self-blame, social withdrawal, parenting stress, anxiety, depressive symptoms, and poorer family quality of life. Nevertheless, the relationship between stigma and well-being is not uniform. Its effects may vary according to cultural expectations, the child’s behavioural and developmental characteristics, the availability of services, and parents’ access to supportive relationships. Social support, resilience, parenting self-efficacy, self-compassion, mindfulness, positive meaning in caregiving, and adaptive coping appear to reduce the psychological burden associated with stigma. Existing literature remains dominated by quantitative and cross-sectional studies, while parents’ lived experiences, particularly within the Malaysian context, have received less detailed attention. A qualitative approach is therefore needed to understand how parents interpret stigmatizing encounters, how these experiences influence their emotions and everyday lives, and what forms of support help them maintain psychological well being.