Family Quality of Life of South African Families Raising Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
South African preschool autism families feel worst about emotional well-being and best about disability support, with money, family structure, and severity driving overall life quality.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Schlebusch et al. (2017) asked South African parents of preschoolers with autism how they feel about family life.
They used a survey that covers nine areas, such as money help, emotional well-being, and disability support.
Parents rated how important each area is and how satisfied they are with it.
What they found
Parents felt best about disability-related support and worst about emotional well-being.
Families with more money, two parents in the home, and milder autism traits reported higher overall quality of life.
How this fits with other research
One year earlier, Tonnsen et al. (2016) studied the same South African group. They showed that steady daily routines and viewing autism in a positive light raise family quality of life.
Mello et al. (2019) ran a similar survey in the United States. They also found that higher child skills and more family resources link to better quality of life.
Losada-Puente et al. (2022) widened the lens by comparing autism to other delays. Families of preschoolers with autism had larger gaps between what they need and what they get than families of children with other disabilities.
Together, these studies say the same thing across countries: money, routines, and child skills shape how parents feel, and emotional needs stay the weakest spot.
Why it matters
You can act on these facts right away. Ask parents which daily routines feel shaky and help them build a clear schedule. Point them to free respite or parent groups to ease emotional strain. When you write reports, note family income, structure, and autism severity so funders see why extra supports are needed. Small moves here lift the whole family’s quality of life.
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02At a glance
03Original 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.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2017 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3102-8