{"title":"Character Strengths in Parents of Children With Autism, Down Syndrome and Typical Development.","authors":"Alireza Azimpour, Najmeh Abbolzadeh, Nurallah Mohammadi","doi":"10.1007/s10803-026-07581-0","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Concerns about possible over-reporting of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among parents of children with special needs have led researchers to consider alternative indicators of positive adaptation. This study examined whether character strengths differed according to child developmental status and parent gender.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Participants were 331 parents in Ahvaz, Iran, whose children had typical development, autism, or Down syndrome. They completed a 48-item Persian version of the Values in Action-Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) and a 13-item Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Given concerns about the validity of the abbreviated VIA-IS, exploratory factor analysis was conducted, followed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) controlling for social desirability.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Exploratory factor analysis yielded five factors: Wisdom, Social Intelligence, Honesty/Persistence, Vitality, and Beauty Appreciation. MANCOVA identified only one significant difference: fathers of typically developing children scored higher on Vitality than mothers of children with autism and mothers of typically developing children.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Character strengths showed few differences across child developmental status and parent gender, suggesting that parents of children with special needs may demonstrate positive adaptation comparable to that of other parents. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the limited psychometric properties of the abbreviated VIA-IS and the relatively modest sample size.</p>","PeriodicalId":15148,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.6000,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-026-07581-0","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, DEVELOPMENTAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose: Concerns about possible over-reporting of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among parents of children with special needs have led researchers to consider alternative indicators of positive adaptation. This study examined whether character strengths differed according to child developmental status and parent gender.
Methods: Participants were 331 parents in Ahvaz, Iran, whose children had typical development, autism, or Down syndrome. They completed a 48-item Persian version of the Values in Action-Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) and a 13-item Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Given concerns about the validity of the abbreviated VIA-IS, exploratory factor analysis was conducted, followed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) controlling for social desirability.
Results: Exploratory factor analysis yielded five factors: Wisdom, Social Intelligence, Honesty/Persistence, Vitality, and Beauty Appreciation. MANCOVA identified only one significant difference: fathers of typically developing children scored higher on Vitality than mothers of children with autism and mothers of typically developing children.
Conclusion: Character strengths showed few differences across child developmental status and parent gender, suggesting that parents of children with special needs may demonstrate positive adaptation comparable to that of other parents. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the limited psychometric properties of the abbreviated VIA-IS and the relatively modest sample size.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders seeks to advance theoretical and applied research as well as examine and evaluate clinical diagnoses and treatments for autism and related disabilities. JADD encourages research submissions on the causes of ASDs and related disorders, including genetic, immunological, and environmental factors; diagnosis and assessment tools (e.g., for early detection as well as behavioral and communications characteristics); and prevention and treatment options. Sample topics include: Social responsiveness in young children with autism Advances in diagnosing and reporting autism Omega-3 fatty acids to treat autism symptoms Parental and child adherence to behavioral and medical treatments for autism Increasing independent task completion by students with autism spectrum disorder Does laughter differ in children with autism? Predicting ASD diagnosis and social impairment in younger siblings of children with autism The effects of psychotropic and nonpsychotropic medication with adolescents and adults with ASD Increasing independence for individuals with ASDs Group interventions to promote social skills in school-aged children with ASDs Standard diagnostic measures for ASDs Substance abuse in adults with autism Differentiating between ADHD and autism symptoms Social competence and social skills training and interventions for children with ASDs Therapeutic horseback riding and social functioning in children with autism Authors and readers of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders include sch olars, researchers, professionals, policy makers, and graduate students from a broad range of cross-disciplines, including developmental, clinical child, and school psychology; pediatrics; psychiatry; education; social work and counseling; speech, communication, and physical therapy; medicine and neuroscience; and public health.
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