Author : Colleen M. Harker
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 76 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (18 download)
Book Synopsis Determinants of Quality of Life in Caregivers of Children with Autism and Autism Concerns by : Colleen M. Harker
Download or read book Determinants of Quality of Life in Caregivers of Children with Autism and Autism Concerns written by Colleen M. Harker and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Given the unique demands of raising a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it is necessary to understand the impact on the quality of life (QoL) of their caregivers. Though QoL is considered an important outcome in health services research (Moons et al., 2006; Oliveira, Carvalho, & Esteves 2016), there is a lack of knowledge about QoL in caregivers of children with ASD or caregivers of children for whom there are ASD concerns, but no formal diagnosis. The objectives of the current study were to (1) Examine how having a young child with ASD or ASD concerns affects caregiver QoL, relative to children with other developmental concerns and typical development; (2) Examine profiles across QoL domains within each caregiver group to determine which QoL domains were most impacted relative to other domains; (3) Examine to what extent three levels of determinants contribute to caregiver QoL: family demographic (child age, family income, caregiver employment status, number of children in the home), psychological (parenting stress), and health care (family-centered care); and 4) (Exploratory) Examine the extent to which family centered care moderates the relation between parenting stress and QoL. The sample was drawn from a larger NIH study examining screening and referral practices for children with ASD in primary care provider (PCP) practices and early intervention (EI) agencies in Washington State. The sample was comprised of three groups: caregivers of children with ASD or ASD concerns (ASD/ASD Concerns; n = 42), caregivers of children with other developmental concerns (Other Concerns; n = 34), and caregivers of children with typical development (No Concerns; n = 112). Caregivers completed a measure of family demographics, parenting stress, family-centered care, and QoL at their time of entry in the study. Results indicated that caregivers in the ASD/ASD Concerns group reported significantly lower Psychological and Social QoL than caregivers in the Other Concerns group and the No Concerns group, and significantly lower Environmental QoL and Physical QoL than caregivers in the No Concerns group (Objective 1). For caregivers in the ASD/ASD Concerns group, Social QoL was significantly lower than Environmental and Physical QoL and Psychological QoL was significantly lower than Environmental QoL (Objective 2). Income, parenting stress, and family-centered care were significant predictors for all four QoL domains, while the number of children residing in the home was a significant predictor for Physical QoL only. There was also a significant group by stress interaction for Environmental QoL, such that there was a stronger negative relationship between parenting stress and Environmental QoL for caregivers in the ASD/ASD Concerns group compared to caregivers in the No Concerns group (Objective 3). Family-centered care did not moderate the relationship between parenting stress and QoL as predicted (Objective 4). Overall, these findings suggest that future research is needed to determine how to provide additional support to all caregivers, particularly low-income families and caregivers who are experiencing high levels of parenting stress and low levels of family-centered care.
