Parent's Stress and Quality of Life for Children Diagnosed with Autism

Abstract

Background: Autism was currently one of the most prominent and widely discussed pediatric condition and was a set of neurodevelopmental disorders. Aim of study: The aim of this study was to assess parent's stress and quality of life for children diagnosed with autism. Design: A descriptive design was utilized to conduct this study. Settings: The study was carried out at outpatient clinics of Benha Specialized Pediatric Hospital, and Al-shohdaa Hospital at menoufia city. Sample: A convenient sample of (75) parents accompanied their autistic children were selected from the previously mentioned settings. Total of data collection: Five tools were used: Tool (1) A structured interviewing questionnaire. Tool (II) Developmental assessment for children, Tool (III) Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) -Second Edition, Tool (IV) Parental stress Index-short form scale and Tool (V) Pediatric Quality Of Life 4.0 Generic Core Scale. Results: Less than half of the studied fathers were in the age groups 45 years old , and more than two fifth of the studied mothers were in the age groups less than 25 years old. More than two thirds of the studied parents have unsatisfactory knowledge regarding autism, while less than one third of them have satisfactory knowledge regarding autism. Less than half of the studied children had moderate autism less than half of the studied parent had moderate stress level and less than two thirds of studied children had low level quality of life. Conclusion: There was a highly statistically significant positive correlation between total parent's stress, knowledge, and total quality of life of their children. Recommendations: Providing training programs for parents of children diagnosed with autism, which helps them to be able to deal in the best way with their children.