Quality of Life of Mothers of Children with Autism and their Relationship with their Children

Abstract

Little is known about the quality of life of Filipino mothers of children with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to determine the quality of life of mothers of children particularly with autism and their relationship with their children. This study made use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. Quality of life was assessed using the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment instrument (WHOQOL-BREF) that particularly measured the dimensions of physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. The quality of the relationship of the mothers and their children was assessed using the Positive Affect Scale. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to better understand the situation of the mothers. Participants of this study were purposively selected through institutions serving persons with the particular disability. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS version 19 while the themes and patterns found in the qualitative data were combined to create categories. It was found that mothers of children with autism have relatively moderate quality of life. On the other hand, their relationship with their children was reported as good. At the end of this study, recommendations were made for future research on this field.