Family quality of life of South African families raising children with autism spectrum disorder

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Authors

Schlebusch, Liezl
Dada, Shakila
Samuels, Alecia E.

Journal Title

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Publisher

Springer

Abstract

This article describes the family quality of life among families who are raising a young child with autism spectrum disorder. Survey research was conducted with 180 families of children with autism spectrum disorder who were receiving disability-related services in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The principle measure used was the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale to assess five subdomains: family interaction, parenting, emotional well-being, material/physical well-being, and disability-related support. Results indicated that families felt the most satisfied with disability-related support and the least satisfied with the family’s emotional well-being. Family income, family type, and the severity level of autism were significantly associated with how satisfied families felt about their quality of life.

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Keywords

Appraisal of family income, Unified theory of family quality of life, Autism, Child characteristics, Emotional well-being, Family characteristics

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Citation

Schlebusch, L., Dada, S. & Samuels, A.E. Family quality of life of South African families raising children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2017) 47: 1966-1977. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3102-8.