ERIC Number: EJ1460613
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2025-Jan
Pages: 13
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: EISSN-1573-3432
Available Date: 2024-01-03
Parental Quality of Life and Impact of Multidisciplinary Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Qualitative Study
Chiara Fante1; Raffaele De Luca Picione2; Barbara Dioni3,4; Tommaso Manari4; Cinzia Raffin3; Francesca Capelli3; Christian Franceschini5; Vittorio Lenzo6; Alessandro Musetti4
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v55 n1 p310-322 2025
The presence of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the family can have a negative impact on parental Quality of Life (QoL), but evidence on how treatments for children with ASD can affect parental QoL is currently limited. In this qualitative study, we develop a semi-structured interview in order to investigate the impact of ASD on the QoL of mothers and fathers from a subjective perspective, as well as the effect of the intervention on their QoL and adjustment process. The sample consisted of 31 parents of children with ASD severity 2 or 3, aged 5 to 11 years, undergoing a multidisciplinary intervention. In order to identify emerging themes from the interview transcripts, a Thematic Analysis was conducted using a bottom-up approach. We identified three main themes relating to parental QoL (ASD impact on QoL, useful external resources, QoL improvement-related factors) and five themes relating to parents' views on the intervention (positive impact on parent, dissatisfaction with previous interventions, parental involvement, useful features, critical issues). The results provide indications of the process of parental adaptation and the components of interventions that foster an improvement in their QoL. In conclusion, living with a child with ASD can have a significant influence on a parents' QoL, not just physically and emotionally, but also in terms of general goals, family structure, and social interactions.
Descriptors: Autism Spectrum Disorders, Children, Parents, Quality of Life, Intervention, Program Effectiveness, Parent Attitudes, Adjustment (to Environment), Family Environment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: 1National Research Council, Institute for Educational Technologies, Genoa, Italy; 2Giustino Fortunato University, Benevento, Italy; 3Fondazione Bambini e Autismo Onlus, Pordenone, Italy; 4University of Parma, Department of Humanities, Social Sciences and Cultural Industries, Parma, Italy; 5University of Parma, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Parma, Italy; 6University of Catania, Department Educational Sciences, Catania, Italy