Stigmatization and Marital Conflicts Predictors of Depression among Parents of Autistic Children in South-East Nigeria
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This study investigated stigmatization and marital conflict as predictors of depression among parents of autistic children in Southeast Nigeria. A total of 138 parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) comprising 69 females and 69 males between the ages of 25-78 years with (M=45, SD=8.98) participated in the study. Participants were drawn from the five states of SoutheastNigeria comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo using purposive sampling technique. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design and the instruments used for data collection included Marital Conflict Behavior Checklist (MCBC), Stigmatization Impact Scale (SIS), Health and Daily Living Form: Adult Form B (HDL-AFB), and Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used for data analysis. The results revealed that stigmatization predicted depression among parents of children with ASD ((β = .50, t = 8.37, p < .05). Also, marital conflict positively predicted depression ((β = .51, < 0.01). The results were discussed in relation to relevant literature. Implications of the study, suggestions for further studies and recommendations were highlighted.
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