| Abstract |
People with intellectual disability as well as people with autism are a particular population with many pathophysiological characteristics that affect their health, functional capacity and life expectancy. The reduced functional capacity and health problems of these individuals affect the quality of life of their parents. The purpose of the current study is the assessment of the quality of life in parents of children with intellectual disability and autism who attend daily the schedule of the organizations for children with special needs in Heraklion, Crete.
The study took place from 02/2018 to 04/2018 and in the sample participated 120 people - parents of children with intellectual disability, autism or some other type of disability, who attend daily the schedule of the organizations for children with special needs in Heraklion, Crete. The organizations that participated in the current study are the following: 1. Children with special needs ‹‹Zoodochos Pigi››, 2. Children with special needs ‹‹Agios Spiridon››, 3. Rehabilitation Center for Children with Disabilities (ΠΑΑΠΑΗΚ), 4. Day care centers for children with intellectual disability ‹‹Dikaioma sti Zoi››, 5. Parents, guardians and friends of children with intellectual disability ‹‹Rodavgi››. A cross-sectional analysis was used for the purposes of the current case study. For the collection of the data, the Health Survey SF-36 questionnaire was used, which is one of the most widespread tools available in the social sciences and humanities for the simultaneous assessment of physical and mental health, both the general population and patient groups. The results of the study showed that in male parents the mean values of the scales Vitality, Mental Health, Social Functioning and Physical Pain were higher with a statistically significant difference (p <0.05) than the corresponding mean values of the scales presented by the female parents. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in the scale Role Physical with the mean value being higher in the group of ≤50 years compared to the group of >50 years old. The mean values of respondents who had a partner were higher than those who didn’t have one. However, statistically significant difference was observed only on the scale Physical Functioning. Also, the general trend is that the quality of life (SF-36 scales) improves as the parent's educational level is higher. The only statistically significant difference was presented on the scale Physical Functioning where the mean value of the respondents with tertiary level education was higher than the other’s with lower educational level. The mean values of respondents who had a job were higher than those who didn’t have one. However, statistically significant difference was observed only on the scale Vitality. Additionally, regarding the number of children, the scale Physical Functioning is where there is statistically significant difference. In particular, it was observed that parents who had one child had a higher mean value on that scale than parents who had two or more children.
This study is intended to give to the organizations which took part in this, a useful evaluation of the quality of life of the parents. In this way, through family counseling, an effort could be made in the future to improve the quality of life of both individuals with intellectual disability and their parents.
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