Anxiety, Depression, Quality of Life and General Health of parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Background: Since parents of children suffering from autism disorder have more psychiatric problems compared to parents of normal children or those with other developmental disorders, the present research aimed to study anxiety, depression, general health and quality of life among parents of children with autism disorders in comparison to the control group. Methods: This descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional study was performed on parents of autism children visiting the pediatric psychologist at Besat psychiatric clinic and one of the rehabilitation centers in Kerman, Iran. The autism diagnosis was confirmed by a child and adolescent psychiatrist and based on DSM-IV-TR criteria. The control group was selected from parents of children over two years with somatic problems. 66 people were selected in each of the control and case groups and in each group there was 33 men and 33 women. All participants were asked to fill out Hamilton Depression and Hamilton Anxiety questionnaires as well as general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) and quality of life (WHOQOL-BREIF) questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using t-test. Results: Mean scores of depression, anxiety, and quality of life were significantly different between the case and control groups (P<0.001). However, in terms of general health, mean scores of the two groups showed no statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Parents of children suffering from autism spectrum disorders are more susceptible to anxiety and depression and have lower quality of life.