Quality of Life of Mothers and Fathers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Jordan

BACKGROUND: Parenting children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is widely identified to be associated with life-long impairment in parents’ quality of life (QoL). However, there has been little information on the QoL of parents of children with ASD in the Jordanian context. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the QoL among mothers and fathers who have children with ASD in Jordan and to identify factors associated with it. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, respondents were mothers and fathers of children with ASD attending autism rehabilitation centers in Amman. Data were collected from 206 participants using a validated questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, T-test, ANOVA and logistic regression, were applied. RESULTS: Overall quality of life was low (mean= 2.32). The physical dimension scored the highest (mean =2.79), and the environmental dimension scored the lowest (mean= 2.06). Results indicated that fathers and parents with low education reported significantly lower QoL scores (p = .024 and 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Among parents of children with ASD, parents at risk for low QoL were recognized. Our results can be utilized to design interventions to support mothers and fathers at risk in Jordan to enhance their QoL.