Health Quality of Life of Parents of a Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Location
Guzman Lecture Hall, Dominican University of California
Start Date
4-20-2017 6:00 PM
End Date
4-20-2017 7:00 PM
Student Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Mentor(s)
Michaela George, MPH, Ph.D.
Presentation Format
Poster Presentation
Abstract/Description
The diagnosis of a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) of a child not only directly affects the life of that child but also has a significant effect on the health quality of life of the parents of that child. Parenting a child who has been diagnosed with a PDD is known to be associated with the well-being impairment of parents themselves (Allik, Larsson, & Smedje 2006). Among these different types of PDD’s is autism spectrum disorder, also known as ASD. ASD is a life-long neurodevelopmental disorder and is characterized as the delay of development of communication and socialization skills (Bekhet, Johnson & Zauszniewski 2012). ASD effects the development of intelligence, behavior and language. It is estimated that one out of every 110 Americans (2.8 million people) has ASD (Rice 2009). One of these 110 Americans, who has ASD, is my nephew. There have been studies focused on the resilience in families of children with ASD (Bayat 2007; Bekhet, Johnson & Zauszniewski 2012), factors and management of stress, anxiety and depression of parents of children with ASD (Bonis & Sawin 2016; Falk, Norris & Quinn 2014), but there are not many studies that focus on and summarize all aspects of the health quality of life of parents of children with ASD as a whole. When my nephew was diagnosed with ASD, there were a handful of questions his mother and father had about the disorder, such as the prevalence of ASD, the causes of the disorder, but most importantly what types of support and services that were out there to help my nephew and his family attend to his disorder. For the purpose of this study I will focus on the health quality of life of parents of children who have ASD. I will conduct interviews to answer the following research questions: What kind of emotional distress can the diagnosis of ASD have on family member(s)? What types of support or kinds of programs were provided (if any) to the parents of children of ASD and are they effective/useful?
Health Quality of Life of Parents of a Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Guzman Lecture Hall, Dominican University of California
The diagnosis of a pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) of a child not only directly affects the life of that child but also has a significant effect on the health quality of life of the parents of that child. Parenting a child who has been diagnosed with a PDD is known to be associated with the well-being impairment of parents themselves (Allik, Larsson, & Smedje 2006). Among these different types of PDD’s is autism spectrum disorder, also known as ASD. ASD is a life-long neurodevelopmental disorder and is characterized as the delay of development of communication and socialization skills (Bekhet, Johnson & Zauszniewski 2012). ASD effects the development of intelligence, behavior and language. It is estimated that one out of every 110 Americans (2.8 million people) has ASD (Rice 2009). One of these 110 Americans, who has ASD, is my nephew. There have been studies focused on the resilience in families of children with ASD (Bayat 2007; Bekhet, Johnson & Zauszniewski 2012), factors and management of stress, anxiety and depression of parents of children with ASD (Bonis & Sawin 2016; Falk, Norris & Quinn 2014), but there are not many studies that focus on and summarize all aspects of the health quality of life of parents of children with ASD as a whole. When my nephew was diagnosed with ASD, there were a handful of questions his mother and father had about the disorder, such as the prevalence of ASD, the causes of the disorder, but most importantly what types of support and services that were out there to help my nephew and his family attend to his disorder. For the purpose of this study I will focus on the health quality of life of parents of children who have ASD. I will conduct interviews to answer the following research questions: What kind of emotional distress can the diagnosis of ASD have on family member(s)? What types of support or kinds of programs were provided (if any) to the parents of children of ASD and are they effective/useful?