Broken trust – Institutional betrayal and posttraumatic distress in mothers of children with neuropsychiatric disorders

Hadas Stricher-Stern, Anat Shalev and Yael Lahav

Social Science & Medicine, 2025, vol. 381, issue C

Abstract: Mothers of children with autism or mental health disorders may be at risk for anxiety symptoms and posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) following exposure to traumatic events that relate to their children's upbringing. Furthermore, according to the trauma betrayal theory, mothers' experience of institutional betrayal that result from institutions' failure to fulfill their obligations may take another toll on their well-being and may exacerbate their symptomatology. Yet, thus far no study has explored institutional betrayal among parents of children with disabilities in general, nor among mothers of children with autism or mental health disorders, in particular. Bridging this knowledge gap, this study explored the unique contribution of institutional betrayal in explaining anxiety symptoms and PTSS among mothers of children with autism or mental health disorders.

Keywords: Institutional betrayal; Anxiety; PTSD symptoms; Mothers of children with neuropsychiatric disorders; Autism; Mental health disorders (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:socmed:v:381:y:2025:i:c:s0277953625006203

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DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2025.118289

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