Ransley, Rachel;
(2020)
Exploring Experiences of Stigma in Parents of Children with Autism.
Doctoral thesis (D.Clin.Psy), UCL (University College London).
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Abstract
Aims This study aimed to develop a theoretical model to understand how parents of children with autism manage and respond to stigma they may experience. Method Twelve parents of children with a diagnosis of autism, aged 10 and under, completed semi-structured interviews about their experiences of stigma and how they respond to stigmatising encounters. A constructivist grounded theory approach was taken to examine parents’ narratives and develop theoretical codes. Results A theoretical model is proposed to understand how parents of children with autism manage and respond to stigma. Two variables are highlighted in this model - parents’ responses were dependent on who the stigmatiser was and who was being stigmatised. Four core responses to stigma were identified: 'actively ignoring,' 'actively withdrawing,' 'avoiding' and 'challenging.' Parents’ narratives illustrated the context those responses would be used in. Conclusions Whilst the results show the on-going challenges that parents of children with autism face, they also illustrate the skills and resilience such parents have often developed to manage stigma.
Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
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Qualification: | D.Clin.Psy |
Title: | Exploring Experiences of Stigma in Parents of Children with Autism |
Event: | UCL (University College London) |
Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
Language: | English |
Additional information: | Copyright © The Author 2020. Original content in this thesis is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Any third-party copyright material present remains the property of its respective owner(s) and is licensed under its existing terms. Access may initially be restricted at the author’s request. |
UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology |
URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10111612 |
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