Hardiness and Social Support as Predictors of Parenting Self-Efficacy Among Mothers of Children with Special Needs

Abstract

Caring for children with special needs involves complex and ongoing demands that can influence mothers' confidence in carrying out their parenting role. Hardiness is an internal psychological resource that can help mothers adapt to various parenting challenges, while social support provides external resources that can strengthen mothers' confidence in carrying out parenting responsibilities. This study aims to examine hardiness and social support as predictors of parenting self-efficacy in mothers of children with special needs. The study used a quantitative approach with a survey design involving 200 mothers in the Special Region of Yogyakarta who were selected using an accidental sampling technique. Data were collected using the Parenting Sense of Competence Scale (PSOC), the Dispositional Resilience Scale-15 (DRS-15), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), which generally demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties, although the commitment dimension of the DRS-15 showed comparatively lower reliability. Data analysis was performed using multiple linear regression. The results showed that hardiness was a positive and significant predictor of parenting self-efficacy. Social support was also shown to be a positive and significant predictor of parenting self-efficacy. Simultaneously, hardiness and social support significantly predicted parenting self-efficacy and explained 25.8% of the variance, with hardiness demonstrating a greater relative contribution. These findings underscore the importance of strengthening personal psychological resources and a supportive social environment in enhancing mothers' confidence in facing the demands of caring for children with special needs.