PSYCHOLOGICAL RESILIENCE AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES AMONG STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER IN MAINSTREAM EDUCATIONAL SETTINGS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background

Psychological resilience has been increasingly identified as being an important protective factor that could impact students' educational adjustment with ASD. But there is little empirical research on its role in influencing inclusive school outcomes in mainstream schools.

Objective

The present study aimed to examine the association between psychological resilience and inclusive educational outcomes among students with ASD enrolled in mainstream educational institutions.

Methods

A cross-sectional correlational design was used. The number of students was drawn using purposive sampling from inclusive mainstream schools; a total of 150 ASD students ranged in an age band from 8 to 18 years. Psychological resilience was measured with the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM-28), and inclusive educational outcomes were measured with a structured scale that included measures of academic engagement, classroom participation, social inclusion, peer relationships, and school belongingness. IBM SPSS version 26 software was used to analyse the data. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression analyses were performed. A p value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results

Findings revealed a strong positive correlation between psychological resilience and inclusive educational outcomes (r = 0.74, p < 0.001). Regression analysis indicated that psychological resilience was a significant predictor of inclusive educational outcomes (β = 0.74, t = 13.40, p < 0.001), explaining 55% of the variance (R² = 0.55). Students with higher resilience demonstrated significantly better academic engagement, peer interaction, and school belonging.

Conclusion

Mental toughness proved to be one of the most influential factors in inclusive education outcomes for students with ASD in mainstream education. The results emphasise the need to include strategies for building resilience in the inclusive education model to improve academic and psychosocial development. Enhancing psychological resilience could be an important point of intervention for enhancing the quality of inclusion for students with ASD.