Emotional Transition and Resilience in the Online Narratives of Chinese Parents of people with Autism: A Study of Baidu Tieba
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65921/9bk47921Keywords:
autism spectrum disorder, psychological resilience, emotional transition, online narratives, Baidu Tieba, parental caregiversAbstract
Caring for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) places significant psychological and social burdens on Chinese families, who often navigate intense sociocultural pressures such as "face" culture and social stigma. This study explores the genuine emotional transitions and mechanisms of psychological resilience among parents of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder in China within text-based online communities. Employing a mixed-methods approach, the study conducted quantitative content analysis on 150 samples of long-form narratives and comments by parents, randomly selected from Baidu Tieba between 2015 and 2026. Based on Systemic Psychological Resilience Theory, a binary coding scheme evaluated the data. Results indicate that caregivers in early diagnostic stages experience highly overt acute psychological trauma, while physical and mental exhaustion functions as a dynamic process accumulating over the caregiving duration. Online peer support significantly activates parents’ pragmatic learning behaviors regarding professional intervention skills; however, constrained by deeply ingrained cultural pragmatism, it fails to effectively drive a thorough cognitive restructuring. Notably, there is no significant correlation between parents’ unconditional acceptance of their children and the reality of financial burdens and social stigma, highlighting the agency and transcendence of the parenting subject. In summary, while highly anonymous text-based online communities alleviate early caregivers' stress and provide dense information, sound support mechanisms cannot be passively established through virtual networks alone. Therefore, under the premise of safeguarding the personal rights of parents or caregivers of people with ASD against infringement, policymakers and social workers should seize the critical early diagnosis window to build an integrated online-offline social support system combining practical technical guidance with deep psychological reconstruction, rather than relying solely on online communities.
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