Date

8-29-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Albert L. Pace

Keywords

Psychology, ASD, doctor, philosophy, dissertation, self-efficacy, diagnoses, diagnosis, healthcare alliance, social support, social supports, relationships

Disciplines

Psychology

Abstract

Single mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face significant difficulties. Challenges faced by these women have notable impacts on their psychological well-being and subsequently their families. Self-efficacy is a key construct to understanding psychological well-being and potentially a key area of intervention for these mothers. This study examined the factors of health care alliance, perceived social supports, and religious coping on maternal self-efficacy in 87 single mothers of children with autism. Findings from a regression analysis suggested that these variables have predictive power regarding maternal self-efficacy, F (4, 82) = 3.721, p =.008. Though when analyzed individually,© no one factor was statistically significant, healthcare alliance, as measured by the Health Care Alliance Questionnaire, exhibited promise as a significant predictive factor (p = .058). Further investigation is warranted to better understand the factors impacting maternal self-efficacy in this population of single mothers.

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