Autism, affiliate stigma and psychological distress among Italian parents: exploring the mediating role of self-compassion

Objectives Caregivers of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often internalise misconceptions and negative reactions as affiliate stigma, leading to self-criticism, helplessness, and distress. Some psychosocial factors, like self-compassion, may be protective. The study examines parent affiliate stigma related to ASD in Italy, exploring its links with ASD severity, parents’ self-compassion, and psychological distress.Methods A total of 76 primary caregivers completed an online survey including: the ASD Stigma Scale and Affiliate Stigma Scale for public and self-internalised stigma, respectively; the Social Responsiveness Scale for ASD symptoms severity; the DASS-21 for psychological distress, and the short form of the Self-Compassion Scale.Results Affiliate stigma is positively linked with public ASD stigma and children’s characteristics (age, ASD severity), and negatively with self-compassion. Mediation analyses indicate that public stigma impacts psychological distress through affiliate stigma. Self-compassion moderates this relation, confirming its buffering role.Conclusions This study encourages targeting affiliate stigma as a direct vulnerability factor for psychological distress among caregivers of children with ASD. Furthermore, it points to the importance of parents’ early interventions, including self-compassion as a modifiable factor, to mitigate the negative impact of affiliate stigma on their well-being.