Systematic Review of Parents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Children in Southeast Asia: Work-related Factors

Abstract

Considering the rising cases of ASD among children, this paper aims to investigate the extent to which work-related factors have been examined in studies conducted on parents of children with ASD within the Southeast Asia (SEA) region. Using the PRISMA framework, a search was conducted on three databases (Scopus, PubMed, Web of Science), yielding 38 studies that met the following inclusion criteria: (1) focusing on parents of ASD children, (2) conducted in the SEA region, and (3) articles, excluding systematic and meta-analyses. Of the 38 studies, 24 were from Malaysia, 9 from Singapore, 3 from the Philippines, 1 from Indonesia, and 1 from Vietnam. No articles were found for Brunei, Burma, Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Laos and Thailand. The focus, across the 38 studies, was primarily on the effects of the ASD child's therapies and interventions on parents, followed by parenting stress and quality of life (QOL). Employment-related factors were seen in sub-themes of five studies from Malaysia and Singapore. The review showed a limited focus on employment-related concerns amongst working parents with ASD children within the SEA region. The study's limitations include the lack of studies from other SEA countries such as Brunei, Burma, Myanmar, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Laos, and Thailand. It is suggested that future research should focus on work-related factors for this underrepresented population while considering the roles of individual, gender, cultural, and religious factors.