Child, Family, and Early Intervention Characteristics Related to Family Quality of Life in Spain

Abstract

Family quality of life (FQoL) is considered one of the aims of early intervention (EI) services and a good indicator of service quality. Families were recruited from EI centers in 12 of 17 communities (states) in Spain. This study describes the FQoL of 250 Spanish families with children aged 0 to 6 years in EI services during a family-centered implementation process. We used an EI-specific FQoL scale that includes families’ perception of their child’s functioning as one factor. We also describe the relationships among individual, family, and service variables as well as FQoL. Type of disability, socioeconomic status, and family-centered practices impacted Child Functioning, Overall Life Situation, and Access to Information and Services factors, respectively. Fewer number of professionals involved was related with greater perception of child’s functionality. Family-centeredness, type of family, and type of disability were the most influencing variables for the Total score. Implications for practice are discussed.

State of the Art of Family Quality of Life in Early Care and Disability: A Systematic Review

“…In 2010, Zuna et al [ 16 ] proposed a definition that highlights the dynamic meaning of the construct. This definition has been cited by 15 of the articles selected in this study [ 6 , 33 , 37 , 38 , 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 ].…”

“…The breakdown of the results found in the studies included in Table 6 is as follows: Ten articles explicitly focus on describing the FQoL in the population of their respective countries. Spain [ 6 , 44 , 62 ] has three studies; Israel [ 32 , 60 ] has two, and Australia [ 36 ], Brasil [ 63 ], Colombia [ 59 ] and Malaysia [ 61 ] have one each. Two articles [ 64 , 65 ] relate FQoL to parental stress in families with children with autism.…”

“…Ten articles explicitly focus on describing the FQoL in the population of their respective countries. Spain [ 6 , 44 , 62 ] has three studies; Israel [ 32 , 60 ] has two, and Australia [ 36 ], Brasil [ 63 ], Colombia [ 59 ] and Malaysia [ 61 ] have one each.…”

“…The FQoL-S by Giné et al [ 19 ] covers up to 18 years of age. The FEIQoL of García Grau et al [ 24 ] focuses on the measurement of early care services [ 44 ] and puts emphasis on the factor “child functioning” [ 38 ]. These same authors [ 24 ] recognise not having conceptualized the EI as extensively as they did the other scales.…”

The Inventory of Quality in Early Intervention Centres for Service Providers: Preliminary Validating Study in a Spanish Sample

“…EI is undergoing an important transformation process since a few years ago [4][5][6], where offering a quality service has become a topic of interest. In this sense, knowing the key elements that determine a positive evaluation of service quality [7], as well as knowing how to define and measure such a construct, is currently fundamental.…”