Availability of support and quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in pandemic conditions

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children with autism spectrum disorders and their parents faced numerous challenges related to health care, education and daily functioning, while available support was limited and often inadequate. The aim of this paper was to examine the differences in subjective qual...

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Main Authors: Kovačić Zoran M., Cvijetić-Vukčević Marija M., Nikolić Gordana I.
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Faculty of Philosophy, Kosovska Mitrovica 2024-01-01
Series:Zbornik Radova Filozofskog Fakulteta u Prištini
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Online Access:https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0354-3293/2024/0354-32932404337K.pdf
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author Kovačić Zoran M.
Cvijetić-Vukčević Marija M.
Nikolić Gordana I.
author_facet Kovačić Zoran M.
Cvijetić-Vukčević Marija M.
Nikolić Gordana I.
author_sort Kovačić Zoran M.
collection DOAJ
description Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, children with autism spectrum disorders and their parents faced numerous challenges related to health care, education and daily functioning, while available support was limited and often inadequate. The aim of this paper was to examine the differences in subjective quality of life and the support available to parents of children with autism and parents of typically developing children during the state of emergency declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to explore the existence of an association between quality of life and the quality of support. The sample consisted of 39 parents of children with autism and 28 parents of children of typical development, fom both genders. To assess the subjective quality of life of parents, a short version of the Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale was used, while the quality of available support was measured using a scale specifically constructed for the purposes of this research. The results indicated that during the state of emergency, parents of typically developing children received better support from the health system and had more free time than parents of children with autism. In terms of quality of life, no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups of parents in any of the examined areas, nor in the overall quality of life. No association between quality of life and the quality of available support was found for either group of parents. The obtained results highlight the need to address the specific needs of families of children with autism in times of uncertainty, such as during a pandemic. These findings can inform future interventions aimed at providing support that is better aligned with the needs of both children and parents in similar circumstances.
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publishDate 2024-01-01
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series Zbornik Radova Filozofskog Fakulteta u Prištini
spelling doaj-art-3977966e65c3409594c466d7980abac22025-01-08T16:52:30ZengFaculty of Philosophy, Kosovska MitrovicaZbornik Radova Filozofskog Fakulteta u Prištini0354-32932217-80822024-01-0154433735610.5937/zrffp54-512510354-32932404337KAvailability of support and quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in pandemic conditionsKovačić Zoran M.0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2089-3742Cvijetić-Vukčević Marija M.1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2441-9071Nikolić Gordana I.2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1709-4205Univerzitet u Beogradu, Fakultet za specijalnu edukaciju i rehabilitaciju, Odeljenje za oligofrenologiju, Beograd, SerbiaUniverzitet u Novom Sadu, Pedagoški fakultet, Katedra za društveno-humanističke nauke, Sombor, SerbiaUniverzitet u Novom Sadu, Pedagoški fakultet, Katedra za društveno-humanističke nauke, Sombor, SerbiaDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, children with autism spectrum disorders and their parents faced numerous challenges related to health care, education and daily functioning, while available support was limited and often inadequate. The aim of this paper was to examine the differences in subjective quality of life and the support available to parents of children with autism and parents of typically developing children during the state of emergency declared due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as to explore the existence of an association between quality of life and the quality of support. The sample consisted of 39 parents of children with autism and 28 parents of children of typical development, fom both genders. To assess the subjective quality of life of parents, a short version of the Brunnsviken Brief Quality of Life Scale was used, while the quality of available support was measured using a scale specifically constructed for the purposes of this research. The results indicated that during the state of emergency, parents of typically developing children received better support from the health system and had more free time than parents of children with autism. In terms of quality of life, no statistically significant differences were found between the two groups of parents in any of the examined areas, nor in the overall quality of life. No association between quality of life and the quality of available support was found for either group of parents. The obtained results highlight the need to address the specific needs of families of children with autism in times of uncertainty, such as during a pandemic. These findings can inform future interventions aimed at providing support that is better aligned with the needs of both children and parents in similar circumstances.https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0354-3293/2024/0354-32932404337K.pdfpandemicautismsupportquality of life
spellingShingle Kovačić Zoran M.
Cvijetić-Vukčević Marija M.
Nikolić Gordana I.
Availability of support and quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in pandemic conditions
Zbornik Radova Filozofskog Fakulteta u Prištini
pandemic
autism
support
quality of life
title Availability of support and quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in pandemic conditions
title_full Availability of support and quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in pandemic conditions
title_fullStr Availability of support and quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in pandemic conditions
title_full_unstemmed Availability of support and quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in pandemic conditions
title_short Availability of support and quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in pandemic conditions
title_sort availability of support and quality of life of parents of children with autism spectrum disorders in pandemic conditions
topic pandemic
autism
support
quality of life
url https://scindeks-clanci.ceon.rs/data/pdf/0354-3293/2024/0354-32932404337K.pdf
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