Background

The quality of life (QoL) of the caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities has received limited attention in emerging economies such as those of the Arabian Gulf region.

Objectives

The aims of this investigation were threefold and sought to contribute to the gap in the literature by exploring the following issues in Oman: (i) to examine the socio-demographic characteristics of caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities (ID) and typical development (TD); (ii) to compare health satisfaction of caregivers of children with ASD, ID, and TD and (iii) to ascertain the relationship between QoL and socio-demographic factors among the families caring for children with ASD.

Methods

Two-hundred and twenty caregivers seeking consultation for their children with ASD were recruited for this study, in addition to the control group (caregivers of children with ID, n= 109), and caregivers of children with TD (n= 125). The overall number of participants was 454. An Arabic version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHO QOL-BREF) was employed to measure QoL and health satisfaction.

Results

Compared to the caregivers of children with ID and TD, the caregivers of children with ASD scored lower on indices of QoL and reported poorer health status. Socio-demographic factors such as higher education were associated with improved QoL, which often entailed steady employment and higher-income.

Conclusions

This study suggests that poor QoL appears to be pervasive in caregivers of children with ASD in Oman. Given the increase in the reported prevalence of ASD, QoL should be considered when devising interventions and services for children presenting with these difficulties and their caregivers. This evidence-based research lays the foundation for systemic interventions and future allocation of resources.

中文翻译：

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自闭症谱系障碍，智力障碍和典型发展儿童的照顾者的生活质量

背景

自闭症谱系障碍和智力残疾儿童的照料者的生活质量（QoL）在新兴经济体（如阿拉伯海湾地区）中受到的关注很少。

目标

这项调查的目的是三方面的，旨在通过探索阿曼的以下问题来弥补文献中的空白：（i）检查自闭症谱系障碍（ASD），智力障碍儿童的照料者的社会人口统计学特征（ ID）和典型开发（TD）；（ii）比较患有ASD，ID和TD的儿童的照护者的健康满意度，以及（iii）确定照顾ASD的儿童的家庭的QoL与社会人口因素之间的关系。

方法

除对照组（ID患儿的照顾者，n = 109）和TD患儿的照顾者（n = 125）之外，本研究还招募了202名照顾其ASD患儿的医生。参与者总数为454。世界卫生组织的生活质量阿拉伯文版本（WHO QOL-BREF）被用来衡量QoL和健康满意度。

结果

与ID和TD儿童的照顾者相比，ASD儿童的照顾者在QoL指数上得分较低，并且报告的健康状况较差。社会人口因素，例如高等教育，与生活质量的提高有关，这通常需要稳定的就业和更高的收入。

结论

这项研究表明，在阿曼的ASD儿童的照护者中普遍存在不良的生活质量。鉴于所报告的ASD患病率增加，在为有这些困难的儿童及其照料者设计干预措施和服务时应考虑QoL。这项基于证据的研究为系统干预和未来资源分配奠定了基础。