Identifying the Central Aspects of Parental Stress in Latinx Parents of Children with Disabilities via Psychological Network Analysis
Abstract
1. Introduction
1.1. Psychological Network Analysis
1.2. Purpose of the Study
- Which stress-related symptoms or experiences are most central in the parenting stress network and could serve as key intervention targets to reduce parenting stress for parents of children with autism?
- Which stress-related symptoms or experiences are most central in the parenting stress network and could serve as key intervention targets to reduce parenting stress for parents of children with other disabilities?
- What similarities and differences can be observed in the parenting stress network between parents of children with autism and those with other disabilities?
2. Method
2.1. Sample
2.2. Sample Characteristics
2.3. Measure: PSI-SF
2.4. Data Analysis
3. Results
3.1. Descriptive Statistics
3.2. Parental Stress Network Estimation, Centrality Stability Tests, and Strength Comparison
3.2.1. Parents of Children with Autism
3.2.2. Parents of Children with Other Disabilities
4. Discussion
4.1. Central Aspects of Parental Stress Among Latinx Parents with Children with Autism Versus Other Disabilities
4.2. Evaluating the Use of Network Modeling with the PSI-SF: Advantages and Precautions
5. Limitation
Implications for Research and Practice
6. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Conflicts of Interest
References
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| Sample | Scale | Mean: Scale (Item) | SD: Scale (Item) | Alpha | Omega |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autism | Overall Stress | 120.905 (3.358) | 19.699 (0.547) | 0.907 | 0.914 |
| Parental Distress | 39.810 (3.317) | 9.163 (0.764) | 0.882 | 0.888 | |
| Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction | 41.952 (3.496) | 8.166 (0.680) | 0.834 | 0.846 | |
| Difficult Child | 39.143 (3.262) | 6.411 (0.534) | 0.699 | 0.721 | |
| Other | Overall Stress | 112.870 (3.135) | 28.342 (0.787) | 0.94 | 0.944 |
| Parental Distress | 35.111 (0.975) | 10.895 (0.303) | 0.898 | 0.908 | |
| Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction | 38.630 (1.073) | 11.131 (0.309) | 0.869 | 0.875 | |
| Difficult Child | 39.130 (1.087) | 11.201 (0.311) | 0.895 | 0.9 |
| PSI-SF | Items |
|---|---|
| 1 | A lack of proficiency in handling things |
| 2 | Sacrificing more of my life |
| 3 | Parental responsibilities trap |
| 4 | Inability to engage in diverse activities |
| 5 | Unable to engage in enjoyable activities |
| 6 | Unhappy with recent clothing purchase |
| 7 | Dissatisfaction with life |
| 8 | Negative impact of having a child on spouse relationships |
| 9 | Feeling alone and with no friends |
| 10 | Low party expectations |
| 11 | Lack of interest in people |
| 12 | A decrease in their enjoyment of certain activities |
| 13 | Child rarely performs pleasing tasks |
| 14 | Parent’s efforts for child unappreciated |
| 15 | Child smiles less than expected |
| 16 | Feels like sometimes child does not like parent and does not want to be close |
| 17 | Child’s emotional instability |
| 18 | Child’s slow learning |
| 19 | Child does not smile enough like most children |
| 20 | Child’s performance challenges (Lack of meeting expectations) |
| 21 | It takes a long time and is difficult for child to get used to new things |
| 22 | Overall feeling of parenting |
| 23 | Parent’s concern over expected closer, warmer feelings for child |
| 24 | Child’s mean behavior causes distress |
| 25 | Child’s frequent crying or fussing |
| 26 | Child waking up feeling unhappy |
| 27 | Child is very moody and gets easily upset |
| 28 | Child has a great deal of difficulty in getting used to schedules or changes |
| 29 | Child’s strong reaction to disliked events |
| 30 | Child does not giggle or laugh when playing |
| 31 | Child’s sleeping or eating schedule was harder to establish than expected |
| 32 | Difficulty of getting child to do or stop doing something |
| 33 | Parental concerns over child’s behavior |
| 34 | The child’s actions that bother parents |
| 35 | Child’s unexpected behavior issues |
| 36 | Child’s high demands |
| Parents of Children with Autism | Parents of Children with Other Disabilities | |
|---|---|---|
| High Strength | PSI 7 (Dissatisfaction with life) | PSI 14 (Parent’s efforts for child unappreciated) |
| PSI 13 (Child rarely performs pleasing tasks) | PSI 9 (Feeling alone and with no friends) | |
| PSI 6 (Unhappy with recent clothing purchase) | PSI 13 (Child rarely performs pleasing tasks) | |
| PSI 10 (Low party expectations) | PSI 8 (Negative impact of having a child on spouse relationships) | |
| PSI 12 (A decrease in their enjoyment of certain activities) | PSI 10 (Low party expectations) | |
| PSI 14 (Parent’s efforts for child unappreciated) | PSI 33 (Parental concerns over child’s behavior) | |
| PSI 11 (Lack of interest in people) | PSI 12 (A decrease in their enjoyment of certain activities) | |
| PSI 17 (Child’s emotional instability) | PSI 34 (The child’s actions that bother parents) | |
| PSI 15 (Child smiles less than expected) | ||
| PSI 24 (Child’s mean behavior causes distress) | ||
| PSI 26 (Child waking up feeling unhappy) | ||
| Low Strength | PSI 36 (Child’s high demands) | PSI 1 (A lack of proficiency in handling things) |
| PSI 18 (Child’s slow learning) | PSI2 (Sacrificing more of my life) | |
| PSI 32 (Difficulty of getting child to do or stop doing something) | PSI3 (Parental responsibilities trap) | |
| High Betweenness | PSI 7 (Dissatisfaction with life) and | PSI 14 (Parent’s efforts for child unappreciated) |
| PSI 13 (Child rarely performs pleasing tasks) | ||
| High Closeness | PSI 7 (Dissatisfaction with life) and | PSI 14 (Parent’s efforts for child unappreciated) |
| PSI 13 (Child rarely performs pleasing tasks) | PSI 13 (Child rarely performs pleasing tasks) | |
| PSI 9 (Feeling alone and with no friends) | ||
| PSI 10 (Low party expectations) | ||
| PSI 8 (Negative impact of having a child on spouse relationships) | ||
| PSI 33 (Parental concerns over child’s behavior) | ||
| PSI 34 (The child’s actions that bother parents) | ||
| PSI 12 (A decrease in their enjoyment of certain activities) | ||
| High Expected Influence | PSI 7 (Dissatisfaction with life) and | PSI 9 (Feeling alone and with no friends) |
| PSI 13 (Child rarely performs pleasing tasks) | PSI 14 (Parent’s efforts for child unappreciated) | |
| PSI 13 (Child rarely performs pleasing tasks) | ||
| PSI 8 (Negative impact of having a child on spouse relationships) | ||
| PSI 10 (Low party expectations) | ||
| PSI 12 (A decrease in their enjoyment of certain activities) |
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Hong, H.; Rios, K. Identifying the Central Aspects of Parental Stress in Latinx Parents of Children with Disabilities via Psychological Network Analysis. AppliedMath 2025, 5, 137. https://doi.org/10.3390/appliedmath5040137
Hong H, Rios K. Identifying the Central Aspects of Parental Stress in Latinx Parents of Children with Disabilities via Psychological Network Analysis. AppliedMath. 2025; 5(4):137. https://doi.org/10.3390/appliedmath5040137
Chicago/Turabian StyleHong, Hyeri, and Kristina Rios. 2025. "Identifying the Central Aspects of Parental Stress in Latinx Parents of Children with Disabilities via Psychological Network Analysis" AppliedMath 5, no. 4: 137. https://doi.org/10.3390/appliedmath5040137
APA StyleHong, H., & Rios, K. (2025). Identifying the Central Aspects of Parental Stress in Latinx Parents of Children with Disabilities via Psychological Network Analysis. AppliedMath, 5(4), 137. https://doi.org/10.3390/appliedmath5040137

