ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Autism
The Effect of Alienation on Depression among Chinese Caregivers of Children with Autism: Family Resilience as a Moderator
1. Yanbian University, Yanji, China
2. Meizhouwan Vocational Technology College, Putian, China
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Abstract
Background: Caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in China often encounter stigma and social isolation, which may heighten alienation and increase depression risk. Family resilience—the strengths and resources within the family system, may help protect caregiver mental health. This study examined the association between alienation and depression among Chinese caregivers of children with ASD and tested whether family resilience moderates this relationship. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 205 caregivers in Jilin Province assessed alienation, depressive symptoms, and family resilience using validated Chinese instruments. Exploratory factor analysis was used to confirm the structure of the Family Resilience (FaRE) Questionnaire for this population. Hierarchical regression analyses examined the association between alienation and depression and the moderating effects of family resilience subdimensions, controlling caregiver demographics. Results: Alienation was positively associated with depression (β = 0.61, p < 0.001). Three dimensions of family resilience—communication/cohesion, perceived social support, and faith/spiritual beliefs—significantly weakened this association (interaction p < 0.05). The family coping dimension did not show a moderating effect. Conclusion: Alienation is a significant risk factor for depression among Chinese caregivers of children with ASD, but specific resilience processes within families can buffer this impact. Interventions aimed at reducing caregiver alienation and strengthening communication, support networks, and shared belief systems may help mitigate depression in this population.
Summary
Keywords
Alienation, autism, caregiver, Depression, family resilience
Received
04 December 2025
Accepted
19 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Zheng and Liu. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Xin Liu
Disclaimer
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.