Quality of life of parents raising children with pervasive developmental disorders.

BACKGROUND: It has been reported that parents of children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs) face higher levels of stress. The aims of the present study were; (i) to evaluate the quality of life (QOL) of parents caring for their children with PDDs, and (ii) to explore the correlates of their QOL. METHODS: A consecutive sample of parents of children with PDDs aged 6 to 15 were approached. The MOS 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to measure the QOL of the parents by eight subscales and two summary measures. Parents' personality and marital relationships were assessed with the NEO Five Factor Inventory and the Intimate Bond Measure, respectively. We characterized the parents' SF-36 profiles in comparison with the national normative scores and explored variables which correlated with their summary measures. RESULTS: Participants were 147 mothers and 122 fathers of 158 children with PDDs. Mothers had significantly lower scores in the areas of Role Physical (RP) Social functioning (SF), General health perceptions (GH), Vitality (VT), Role emotional (RE) and Mental Health (MH) than those among the general female population. The maternal mental component summary (MCS) was also significantly lower, but maternal physical component summary (PCS) and paternal PCS and MCS scores were not lower. Maternal PCS and MCS scores were both significantly associated with the high Care and the low Control scores, but regarding fathers only the paternal PCS scores were significantly associated with the low Control scores. Maternal PCS and MCS and paternal MCS scores were significantly associated with the high Agreeableness scores and the low Neuroticism scores. Multiple regressions have shown that Neuroticism was significantly related to the low MCS scores of mothers and fathers. Next, Care was related to maternal high PCS, and Control was related to maternal low MCS and paternal low PCS. CONCLUSIONS: The mothers of children with PDDs had lower QOL scores than those of the Japanese general population especially in mental domains. Impairment of the maternal QOL is significantly associated with the personality tendency of the parents and relationships with their partners.

Emotional distress and its correlates among parents of children with pervasive developmental disorders.

A number of studies have reported that parents of autistic children face higher levels of stress, but few studies examined the stress associated with the home care of children with pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) other than autistic disorder. The aims of the present study were therefore to (i) evaluate the emotional stress level of parents caring for their children with PDD; and (ii) explore the correlates of their emotional stress. Participants were 147 families (147 mothers and 122 fathers) of 158 children with PDD (42 with autistic disorder, 35 with Asperger's disorder and 81 with PDD not otherwise specified). K6 was used to measure the stress level of the parents. Marital relationships and personality were assessed with the Intimate Bond Measure and the NEO Five-Factor Inventory, respectively. The parents also rated the characteristics of their children with PDD through the Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Autism Society Japan Rating Scale (PARS). The mean K6 score of the mothers was significantly higher than that of the women in the general population in Japan. Stepwise multiple regression indicated that the emotional stress of the mothers was correlated with the personality traits of Neuroticism and Agreeableness, perceived Control by the husband, and the children's PARS score. Clinicians can deliver better service by paying appropriate attention to the emotional distress of mothers of children with not only autistic disorder but also other PDD.