Knowledge is not power, after all? Knowledge about autism and its associations with self-stigma, cognitive fusion, and distress among parents of children on the autism spectrum / Anna PYSZKOWSKA in Research in Autism, 131 (March 2026)  

Public ISBD [article]  inResearch in Autism > 131 (March 2026) . - 202811 Titre : Knowledge is not power, after all? Knowledge about autism and its associations with self-stigma, cognitive fusion, and distress among parents of children on the autism spectrum Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Anna PYSZKOWSKA, Auteur ; Paulina BUREK, Auteur ; Ari NOWACKI, Auteur Article en page(s) : 202811 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Knowledge about autism  Parents of children with ASD  Self-stigma  Cognitive fusion  Social support  Distress Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Background Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience distress, diminished social support, and are at risk of stigmatization that can lead to the internalization of public stigma in the form of self-stigma. The role of cognitive fusion in maintaining negative symptoms has been proposed. Little is known about the role of knowledge about autism in preventing self-stigma and distress. The aim of this study was to determine a) relationships between knowledge about the autism spectrum and self-stigma, distress, cognitive fusion, and social support and b) the level of knowledge about ASD among parents of children with ASD in Poland. A path model of potential associations was proposed. Methods The study was cross-sectional and used the following measurements: Autism Knowledge Scale-General, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, Self-Stigma in Relatives of People with Mental Illness Scale, The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. 222 parents of children on the autism spectrum participated in the study (Mage = 38.93, SDage = 6.66), including 182 females. Results The research showed that Polish parents of children with ASD exhibited extensive knowledge about autistic symptoms, although they provided mixed responses regarding topics under scientific (e.g., rates of ASD among females) or public (e.g., autism in adulthood) debate. PLS-SEM analysis revealed that knowledge about autism was a significant predictor of cognitive fusion, social support, and self-stigma that, in turn, predicted depression, anxiety, and stress. Conclusions The results suggest that knowledge about autism can be beneficial (e.g., allowing for seeking social support) and causing one’s suffering (e.g., enhancing distress). Therefore, developing defusion and establishing one’s motivations for acquiring knowledge about ASD is essential in clinical practice when working with parents of children with ASD. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202811 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=581 [article] Knowledge is not power, after all? Knowledge about autism and its associations with self-stigma, cognitive fusion, and distress among parents of children on the autism spectrum [texte imprimé] / Anna PYSZKOWSKA, Auteur ; Paulina BUREK, Auteur ; Ari NOWACKI, Auteur . - 202811. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Research in Autism > 131 (March 2026) . - 202811 Mots-clés : Knowledge about autism  Parents of children with ASD  Self-stigma  Cognitive fusion  Social support  Distress Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Background Parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience distress, diminished social support, and are at risk of stigmatization that can lead to the internalization of public stigma in the form of self-stigma. The role of cognitive fusion in maintaining negative symptoms has been proposed. Little is known about the role of knowledge about autism in preventing self-stigma and distress. The aim of this study was to determine a) relationships between knowledge about the autism spectrum and self-stigma, distress, cognitive fusion, and social support and b) the level of knowledge about ASD among parents of children with ASD in Poland. A path model of potential associations was proposed. Methods The study was cross-sectional and used the following measurements: Autism Knowledge Scale-General, Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire, Self-Stigma in Relatives of People with Mental Illness Scale, The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale. 222 parents of children on the autism spectrum participated in the study (Mage = 38.93, SDage = 6.66), including 182 females. Results The research showed that Polish parents of children with ASD exhibited extensive knowledge about autistic symptoms, although they provided mixed responses regarding topics under scientific (e.g., rates of ASD among females) or public (e.g., autism in adulthood) debate. PLS-SEM analysis revealed that knowledge about autism was a significant predictor of cognitive fusion, social support, and self-stigma that, in turn, predicted depression, anxiety, and stress. Conclusions The results suggest that knowledge about autism can be beneficial (e.g., allowing for seeking social support) and causing one’s suffering (e.g., enhancing distress). Therefore, developing defusion and establishing one’s motivations for acquiring knowledge about ASD is essential in clinical practice when working with parents of children with ASD. En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reia.2026.202811 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=581

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