Post-Diagnosis Mental Health Trajectories among the Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities

Abstract

The present thesis examined the experiences of parents raising children with developmental disabilities in India through a sequential mixed-methods design comprising two studies. Study 1 used SPSS and AMOS software and employed Structural Equation Modeling (N=175) to test theoretical models grounded in Self-Determination theory (SDT), investigating the association between Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration with parental burnout, life satisfaction, and post-traumatic growth (PTG). It also assessed the mediating role of autonomy-supportive parenting, controlling parenting, and commitment to parental identity, alongside the moderating roles of parenting styles. Results demonstrated that need satisfaction was significantly negatively associated with parental burnout and positively associated with life satisfaction and PTG. Need frustration showed an even stronger positive association with parental burnout, consistent with SDT’s dual-process model. Need specific analysis further revealed that competence satisfaction was the strongest protective factor against parental burnout, while relatedness satisfaction and frustration were the most robust predictors of PTG; autonomy satisfaction reported non-significant effects across all outcomes, potentially reflecting collectivist cultural norms. Mediation analyses indicated that commitment to parental identity fully mediated the relationships between both need satisfaction and need frustration with PTG, while parenting styles did not demonstrate consistent mediation. Serial mediation confirmed a significant sequential pathway from need satisfaction through autonomy-supportive parenting to commitment to parental identity, and ultimately to PTG. Moderation analysis revealed that both autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting amplified the detrimental effect of need frustration on parental burnout, with the protective effect of need satisfaction on parental burnout weakening at high levels of both parenting styles.