Linking affiliate stigma to individual adjustment among parents of children with intellectual disability: An actor–partner interdependence approach

Parents of children with intellectual disability may internalize societal stigma as affiliate stigma and exhibit adjustment problems. However, whether one parent’s affiliate stigma may be linked to the adjustment of the other parent remains unexplored. In this cross-sectional study, data were collected from the mothers and fathers of 143 children with moderate to severe intellectual disability living in Hong Kong, China. Using paper-and-pencil questionnaires, mothers and fathers independently rated their affiliate stigma, life satisfaction, loneliness, and social functioning. Actor–partner interdependence models showed that more stigmatized parents reported lower life satisfaction, higher loneliness, and poorer social functioning. Parents with more stigmatized partners also reported lower levels of psychological, social, and behavioral adjustment. These findings demonstrated both actor and partner effects of affiliate stigma on multiple aspects of adjustment, highlighting the importance of helping mothers and fathers—as dyads—manage their negative feelings and thoughts about parenting children with intellectual disability. Copyright © 2025 American Psychological Association.