Quality of Life among the Parents of Saudi Arabian children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Riyadh, KSA

Objective: To assess the factors influencing the quality-of-life differences between families caring for a child with Autistic Spectrum disorder diagnosis. Methods: Cross-sectional study of either parent of ASD child aged 1 to 14 years following up at the OPD setting in Riyadh, KSA from June 2019 through to the end of January 2020 at the Division of Developmental Pediatrics at King Saud medical city in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia via a structured questionnaire, (The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF). Inclusion criteria: Parent of child with ASD who has been diagnosed by a developmental pediatrician at least 6 months prior to the commencement of this study, parent of child with ASD who receives follow-up treatment at the King Saud medical city children’s Hospital. Parent should be the primary caregiver of the child with ASD. (For the purposes of this study, “primary caregiver” is defined as the individual in the family whose main responsibility is to provide care to the ASD child). Parent who has no history of previous psychological, psychiatric disorder or physical disability. Parents who have been residing in Saudi Arabia for at least 6 months prior to the commencement of this study. Parent who has offered informed consent. Exclusion criteria: parent of any child who has dysmorphic features or a diagnosed genetic syndrome, parent of child with ASD who has sibling diagnosed with ASD, or parents of child with ASD who has sibling diagnosed with other chronic medical illness. Results: Marital status, housing settings, total household income, current employment, being part of support groups and associated illness in the ASD child significantly impacted at least one domain of WHOQOL-BREF. Conclusion: Modifiable factors that have the ability to elevate the quality of life for parents of ASD children are marital status, housing settings, total household income, current employment, being part of support groups and overall care of ASD children. Key words: ASD, Quality of Life, Autism Spectrum disorder, WHOQOL-BREF