Social support and maternal caregiving burden in families of children with Angelman syndrome in China
The mediating role of self-stigma
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15699348 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nueraili Dayimu (Zhejiang University, corresponding author), Lingli Leng (0000-0002-1941-3812, Zhejiang University), Maitixirepu Jilili (0000-0002-0906-5025, Xinjiang University of Finance and Economics) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-12 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | BMC Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2050-7283 • E-ISSN: 2050-7283 |
| Publisher | BioMed Central (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1186/s40359-026-04318-7 |
| PMID | 41820994 |
| OpenAlex | W7135099390 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 65 |
Rearing a child with Angelman syndrome (AS) poses significant maternal burden. This study examines whether social support–including family, friends, and significant other dimensions–is associated with maternal caregiving burden among primary caregivers of children with AS in mainland China, and whether caregivers’ self-stigma mediates this relationship. In the cross-sectional study, a total of 281 primary caregivers (263 mothers) of children with AS in China completed a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic factors, social support (MSPSS-12), self-stigma (ASS-22), and caregiving burden (ZBI-22). All participants were members of the Chinese Angelman Syndrome Organization. Statistical analyses, including multivariable regression and mediation models, were conducted in R 4.2.2. We employed nonparametric bootstrapping for sensitivity analyses. In the composite model, lower social support was associated with higher self-stigma, which fully mediated its effect on higher caregiving burden. In the disaggregated model, lower family-support was directly and indirectly associated with higher caregiving burden, with self-stigma serving as a partial mediator. The effect of friends-support on caregiving burden was inconclusive, while significant-others-support was not significant. This study identifies self-stigma as a significant mediator in the relationship between social support and maternal caregiving burden, with family-support emerging as the dimension most strongly associated with these outcomes. These findings highlight the potential value of interventions aimed at enhancing family-support and reducing self-stigma to improve the well-being of mothers of children with AS in China
Angelman syndrome · Caregiver burden · Down syndrome · Maternal sensitivity · Mediation · Psychological intervention · Social support · Genetic and Clinical Aspects of Sex Determination and Chromosomal Abnormalities · Genetic Syndromes and Imprinting · Gynecological conditions and treatments
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| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |