PERCIPIRANO ZDRAVLJE RODITELJA DJECE SA AUTIZMOM
SELF PERCEIVED HEALTH OF PARENTS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Summary/Abstract: Autism is a disorder characterized by severe difficulties in social interaction and communication, and with unusual behaviors. Multiple difficulties that are associated with autism are not only challenging for the affected children in growing up, but also for their parents. Providing the high level of care required by a child with autism can become burdensome and may impact both physical and mental health of the parents. Through this transparent work, one will try to examine self-perceived health of parents of children with autism in comparison with those of parents of children of typical development. The PubMed database was searched. The key terms “ Self-Assessment ”, „Health Status ”- and “Parents”, “Autism” were used. In previous research, we have found that parents of children with autism had poorer self-perceived physical and mental health and reported significantly more deteriorated health in the last year than parents of children of typical development. Maternal mental health was poorer than paternal mental health. Harmonious family relationships, high socio-economic status, and the community which supports families of children with autism was found to have a protective effect on parents health. Most parents of children with autism have increased levels of stress, sleep deprivation and fatigue which directly affects their mental and physical functioning. Despite such difficulties, many parents of children with autism described themselves to be fairly happy, scoring more than a 7 on a 0–10 scale of happiness. Because parents are the main providers of support for children with autism, preserving parents’ good health and well-being is a precondition for an optimal care for children. Therefore, measuring self-perceived health of parents is essential in outcome and treatment evaluation.

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