Quality of life among Parents having Children with Autism

Abstract

Background: Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life. Both children and adults with autism typically shows difficulties in verbal and non verbal communication, social interactions and leisure or play activities. However, autism is being increasingly seen as a spectrum disorder with affected children experiencing varying degrees of severity of the disorder. Objective: ‘To assess the, ‘Quality of life among parents having children with autism’. Methods: 40 participants (caregivers),  20 having children with autism, and 20 as control group, from two special schools in Delhi were enrolled and they were given WHOQOL-BREF (Murphy et al., 2000), in a semi structured interview form. Results:  indicated poor quality of life and health in, parents of children with autism group, as compared to the control group. Further, due to the complex treatment and regular visits to hospitals, the psychological aspects in the caregivers of autism group, was most affected.  Conclusion:  Poor quality of life in caregivers of children with autism, indicates the importance of a lifelong psychosocial support for prevention of mental health issues, including promotion of a clear understanding of the disease.