Families raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder : determining the relationship between family routines and family quality of life

Abstract

Using a family quality of life approach in early childhood intervention recognises that the impact of disability spreads beyond the child and that it places demands on various domains of family life. It is recommended that service providers recognise the responsibility to serve the family as a whole and that an enhanced family quality of life can be an appropriate outcome for services to families of young children with disabilities. To be able to enhance family quality of life, it is important to understand how family dynamics and family beliefs influence family quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between regular family routines and family quality of life in families raising a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); and secondly, to investigate whether this relationship is mediated by the cognitive appraisal of the impact of ASD on the family. A sample of 180 families of young children with ASD who are receiving disability-related services in one South African province completed a survey of three family measures. Structural equation modeling examined the mediating effect of cognitive appraisal on the relationship between the regularity of family routines and family quality of life. The results suggest that: (a) there is a positive relationship between the regularity of family routines and family quality of life, and (b) that the cognitive appraisal of the impact of ASD on the family acts as a partial mediator on this relationship. The findings support the importance of creating and maintaining regular family routines in relation to families’ quality of life, and highlight the role of the how families’ appraise the impact of ASD on the family.