Character Strengths in Parents of Children With Autism, Down Syndrome and Typical Development

Concerns about possible over-reporting of posttraumatic growth (PTG) among parents of children with special needs have led researchers to consider alternative indicators of positive adaptation. This study examined whether character strengths differed according to child developmental status and parent gender.

Participants were 331 parents in Ahvaz, Iran, whose children had typical development, autism, or Down syndrome. They completed a 48-item Persian version of the Values in Action-Inventory of Strengths (VIA-IS) and a 13-item Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale. Given concerns about the validity of the abbreviated VIA-IS, exploratory factor analysis was conducted, followed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) controlling for social desirability.

Exploratory factor analysis yielded five factors: Wisdom, Social Intelligence, Honesty/Persistence, Vitality, and Beauty Appreciation. MANCOVA identified only one significant difference: fathers of typically developing children scored higher on Vitality than mothers of children with autism and mothers of typically developing children.

Character strengths showed few differences across child developmental status and parent gender, suggesting that parents of children with special needs may demonstrate positive adaptation comparable to that of other parents. However, these findings should be interpreted cautiously because of the limited psychometric properties of the abbreviated VIA-IS and the relatively modest sample size.