Parental reflective functioning as a buffer against stress and despair: effects on child behavioral and social outcomes in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: This study explored the relationships between parental stress, despair, reflective functioning, and externalising/socialisation outcomes in autistic children. Objective: The study aimed to examine whether parental reflective functioning (PRF), specifically certainty and curiosity about the child's mental states, buffers the effects of parental stress and despair on children's externalising problems and socialisation. Methods: A sample of 88 Italian parents of autistic preschoolers (n = 42) and school-age children (n = 46) (n = 76 males) completed standardised parent-reported questionnaires assessing parental stress, despair, reflective functioning, and child behavioural outcomes. Correlational analyses and structural equation modelling (SEM) were conducted to test the hypothesised relationships. Results: Parental stress and despair were positively associated with children's externalising problems and negatively associated with socialisation. PRF showed differential indirect associations with child outcomes: certainty about the child's mental states showed an indirect association with the link between parental despair and children's externalizing problems, whereas curiosity about the child's mental states mediated the relationship between parental stress and children's socialisation, promoting better social outcomes despite stress. No significant associations emerged for internalising problems. Conclusion: These findings highlight the protective role of parental reflective functioning in ASD. While certainty about the child's mental states may help mitigate the impact of parental despair on externalising behaviours, curiosity fosters better socialisation even in stressful conditions. Interventions aimed at enhancing PRF, particularly promoting curiosity and certainty, are associated with more adaptive child outcomes. Future research should explore how targeted interventions can be integrated to support families of children with ASD.