Role of theology in the acceptance of autistic children by their mothers: An original qualitative study

Background and Purpose: One of the factors influencing the acceptance of autistic children by their mothers is the mothers’ attitude towards God. The present study aimed to investigate the role of mothers’ theological viewpoints and attitudes towards God on accepting the autistic child. Materials and Methods: This study was qualitative and an unstructured interview was conducted to collect information from nine mothers with autistic children. These mothers were selected by purposive sampling method and sampling continued until reaching saturation. The grounded theory using open, axial, and selective coding was conducted to analyze the data. Results: The findings showed that different dimensions of attitude towards God played a role in the acceptance of mothers with autistic children. These dimensions included the purposefulness of creation, the Creator of the universe, the creature versus the Creator, acceptance and commitment, the truth of humans, and hope as a motivating force in life. Finally, the paradigm model was proposed based on theological dimensions. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that the correct attitude towards God leads to the acceptance of autistic children by their mothers.