The mediating role of rumination in the relationship between pathological personality traits and Self‐ and other‐blame among parents of children with autism spectrum disorder: Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)

It is crucial to consider the mental health of parents of children with autism to help them adapt to the situation and enhance their children’s performance. This study aimed to develop a structural model of self-blame and other-blame among parents of children with autism according to pathological personality traits with the mediating role of rumination. This cross-sectional study utilized a structural equation design in which 250 parents of autistic children in Tehran were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. They were investigated using the Self- and Other-Blame Scale (SOBS), Ruminative Response Scale, and the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Short Form (PID-5-SF). The data were analyzed using SPSS26 and AMOS24 software through structural equation modeling. The proposed model was suitable for data description. Results showed that pathological personality traits positively influence rumination, self-blame, and other blame. Rumination mediated the relationship between pathological personality traits (except for antagonism) and self-blame and other-blame. However, the effect paths of these traits on self-blame and other-blame were not similar. Negative affectivity, detachment, and psychoticism were more associated with self-blame, while antagonism and disinhibition were related to other blame. Pathological personality traits, through increasing destructive rumination in parents of children with autism, lead to self-blame and other-blame, which are considered maladaptive coping strategies. Personality components characterized by negative emotionality (negative emotion, psychoticism, and detachment) were associated with more self-blame, and those associated with lower empathy (antagonism and lack of inhibition) were associated with other blame.