Presentation Information
[O-11-03]Quality of life and parenting styles in parents with children with and without ASD in Türkiye.
Merve Yesilkaya1, *Ernesto Magallon-Neri1,2 (1.Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology. Faculty of Psychology. University of Barcelona.(Spain), 2.Institute of Neurosciences, UB. Group of Studies about Measure Invariance and Analysis of Change (GEIMAC) 2021SGR01071.(Spain))
Keywords:
Autism Spectrum Disorder,Parenting styles,Quality of Life
Objective: To examine the differences in quality of Life (QoL) and parenting styles (PS) between two groups of parents one of them with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other without any psychiatric disorder in their children in a western region of Türkiye. Method: in a sample of parents (n= 128; 82% women; 75 Clinical and 53 Controls) the following tests were applied: the World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF (WHOQOL BREF) and the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire. Results: Multiple significant differences were identified, in QoL all the domains were affected, the principal a social relationship was poorer in parents with ASD children (t = -3,8; p = .001; Cohen’s d =.71), followed by poorer psychological health (t = -2,55; p = .012; Cohen’s d =.46), whereas only the parenting style of involvement was different between groups (t = -2,21; p = .029; Cohen’s d =.37). Also, parental involvement was positively related to the parent’s environment QoL, r = .27, p = .022, with parents’ physical (r = .32, p = .023) and psychological (r = .29, p = .032) in the control group. Discussion: parents of children with ASD face increased stress and often resort to emotion-focused coping strategies or parenting styles; they are frequently linked to a lower quality of life. Exploring how these parents cope with difficult situations, manage stress, and maintain a satisfactory quality of life is an intriguing area for future studies.