The Evaluation of Family Quality of Life of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder

Abstract

The Quality of Life (QoL) represents a dimension of the overall status and of the wellbeing that might be influenced by various factors. Researchers suggest that the parents of children with disabilities may be more vulnerable in developing physical or mental issues and that these families have a lower quality of life. Primary objective of the study was to evaluate the QoL of families with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children as compared with that of families with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) children. The data were collected from 65 children with age ranging between 2 and 14 years, diagnosed with ASD and 49 children diagnosed with ADHD. The Family Quality of Life Survey (FQoL) was used to evaluate the family QoL. The multidimensional model of quality of life explains 48% of the variance of the global evaluation of the family’s quality of life, proportion statistically significant (F (9, 103) = 12.71 p<0.01). Under statistical control of other factors the most important predictors remain family (beta = 0.43, p < 0.001), support from others (beta =- 0.26, p < 0.001), career (beta = 0.23, p < 0.001) and financial status (beta = 0.15, p = 0.04). Parents of children from the ADHD sample believe that family relationships are less important for the family quality of life, have fewer opportunities to improve these relations, a lower initiative which can derive also from the reduced importance they place on this domain.