The Relationship Between Parents' Fatigue and Quality of Life

The Relationship Between Parents' Fatigue and Quality of Life, and the Quality of Life and Participation of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

By comparing them to a healthy control group, this study aims to investigate the relationship between the participation of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in home, school, and community environments and their parents' fatigue, depression, and quality of life, as well as the child's quality of life. There is no study that investigators are aware of that looks into the relationship between the fatigue and quality of life of parents of children with ASD and the quality of life and participation of children with ASD. This study hypothesizes that parents of children with ASD experience more fatigue and have a lower health-related quality of life than parents of healthy children.

ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social communication, limited and repetitive activities, and sensory sensitivity. The social, emotional, and behavioral issues that children with ASD face are a source of concern for their parents. Mental health issues such as stress, depression, and anxiety are common in these households. According to studies, mothers of children with ASD experience more stress and depression than mothers of children without ASD or mothers of children with other chronic disorders. Another aspect of having an ASD child that has an influence on health is fatigue. In terms of the health of parents of children with ASD, fatigue is often overlooked in study and practice. One of the study was investigated at the fatigue levels of 50 mothers of children with ASD who were between the ages of 2 and 5. Compared to mothers of healthy children, mothers of children with ASD reported higher fatigue, stress, worry, and depressive symptoms.

Participation in daily activities is critical for all children's healthy development, whether or not they have a disability. Participating in activities allows children to express themselves, find purpose, and improve their health. Exclusion and loneliness can arise from a child's inability to participate in normal childhood activities. This circumstance has a number of harmful consequences for the child. According to research, children with ASD participate in their home, school, and community surroundings at a considerably lower rate than their healthy peers, and this difference grows over time.

There is no study in the literature that examines the association between children with ASD's participation in home, school, and community environments, their parents' fatigue level, and the child's quality of life. As a result, the purpose of this research is to look at the relationship between ASD children's participation in home, school, and community settings and their parents' fatigue, depression, and quality of life, as well as the child's quality of life, by comparing them to a healthy control group.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and their parents
• Aged at 2-17 years.
• To be the native language Turkish

Exclusion Criteria:

• Diagnosis of other neurologic disorder such as epilepsy, diabetes, congenital heart disease, brain trauma
• Not to accept to attend the study

Inclusion criteria for control group:

1. Ages at 2-18 years.
2. Not having any psychiatric or neurological diagnosis.
3. To be the native language Turkish.

Exclusion criteria for control group:

1. Not agree to participate the study.
2. To have received medical treatment for any neuropsychiatric disorder.