Introduction
Having a child with autism spectrum disorder can lead to the emergence of parenting stress in both parents, especially in mothers who are often the main caretaker of children [1]. Therefore, it is highly important to identify the factors related to the mental health and general quality of life of parents, particularly mothers, as the identification of such factors will lead to outcomes for the interventional strategies and services for supporting the families of children with autism. One of these factors is parenting mindfulness. According to the evidence, parents with a higher mindfulness level experience lower levels of stress and mental health problems and higher levels of well-being when rearing an autistic child [4]. Another factor is meta-parenting which involves efforts for identifying and expanding the strategies adopted by parents to overcome their children’s problems [5]. It is expected that parents who are exposed to daily stress for any reason allocate less time and energy for meta-parenting. Nonetheless, if the stress factor is caused by the parent-child relationship, such a situation will probably result in higher meta-parenting [6]. In addition, parental self-efficacy acts as an intermediary factor for reducing the effects of the child’s behavioral problems on parenting stress and anxiety [7]. Since the lack of knowledge about the factors related to parenting stress restricts our ability to provide appropriate interventions for parents, a better understanding of parenting stress through its relevant factors might facilitate a better direction of the rehabilitation and coaching programs for the period leading to the diagnosis of autism and the post-diagnosis period. This will improve parents’ well-being and parent-child relationships [8]. Accordingly, the present study aims to model parenting stress based on mindfulness and meta-parenting considering the intermediary role of parental self-efficacy in mothers of children with autism. 
Methods
The present descriptive-correlational study was conducted using the structural equation modeling (SEM) method. The study population included all mothers of 2- to 14-year-old children with autism disorder referring to the therapeutic clinics in Tehran City, Iran, in 2021. A total of 250 individuals were selected as samples using the purposive sampling method. To collect the data, the subjects, upon passing the inclusion and exclusion criteria, completed the parenting stress, mindfulness, meta-parenting, and parental self-efficacy questionnaires. 
Results
The presented study was conducted on 250 subjects with an average age of 37.90 years and a Standard Deviation (SD) of 6.53. The model fitness in this study was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis by the AMOS 21.0 software and the maximum likelihood (ML) estimation. Considering the obtained fitness indices and the factor loads of the indicators, all of which were above 0.32, it was concluded that all indicators had sufficient capability to measure the latent variables of the research. 
In the structural model of this study, it was assumed that mindfulness and meta-parenting could predict parenting stress in mothers of children with autism both directly and through the intermediation of parental self-efficacy. According to the analysis model and the obtained results, all fitness indices obtained from the analysis supported the acceptable fitness of the structural model with the collected data (χ2 [df= 39, n=250]=86.57, χ2/df=2.23, CFI=0.959, GFI=0.942, AGFI=0.901, and RMSEA=0.070). 
Based on the results given in Table 1, the total path coefficient between mindfulness (P<0.01, β=-0.671) and meta-parenting (P<0.01, β=-0.256), and parenting stress was negative and significant at the level of 0.01.


Also, the path coefficient between parental self-efficacy and parenting stress (P<0.01, β=-0.352) was negative and significant at the level of 0.01. Table 1 shows the indirect path coefficient between mindfulness and parenting stress (P<0.01, β=-0.153). On the one hand, meta-parenting and parenting stress (P<0.01, β=-0.116) were negative and significant at the level of 0.01. Accordingly, it was concluded that parental self-efficacy intermediates the relationship between mindfulness and parenting stress and the relationship between meta-parenting and parenting stress in mothers of children with autism. Figure 1 demonstrates the structural model of the research for clarifying the relationship between meta-parenting, mindfulness, parental self-efficacy, and parenting stress in mothers of children with autism.  According to Figure 1, the squared multiple correlation coefficient (R2) for the parenting stress variable was obtained at 0.63, indicating that meta-parenting, mindfulness, and parental self-efficacy justify 63% of the variance of parenting stress in mothers of children with autism. 
Discussion
The present study aimed to present a model for predicting parenting stress based on mindfulness and meta-parenting with the intermediation of parental self-efficacy in mothers of children with autism. As indicated by the results obtained from the structural modeling, mindfulness and meta-parenting can predict parenting stress in mothers of children with autism both directly and through the intermediation of parental self-efficacy. According to the findings, meta-parenting, mindfulness, and self-efficacy can justify 63% of the variance of parenting stress in mothers of children with autism. Accordingly, to develop interventions for reducing or preventing high levels of parenting stress experienced by these mothers, it is recommended to utilize the findings of the present work for improving parents’ well-being and parent-child relationships by providing educational workshops or compiling supportive protocols for families with children with special needs. 

Ethical Considerations
Compliance with ethical guidelines
To follow the ethical principles, before the study, all participants were informed about all stages of the research process and completed the procedures with full consent. All participants were assured that their information will be kept confidential.

Funding
The current article is written based on the first author’s PhD thesis in Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen. 

Authors contributions
All authors contributed equally to conducting the study.

Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Acknowledgements
We appreciate all the individuals who participated in the current study.
 

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