الملخص الإنجليزي
Background: While recognized that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as global public health challenge, there is scarcity of information demonstrating whether variation in socioeconomic status (SES) has direct effect on perceived constraint of caring for ASD children in the Arab world.
Aim: To investigate whether caregivers' variations in SES has direct effect on perceived challenge arising from nurturing children with ASD.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was nested on an ongoing research project among the caregivers of children with ASD who are registered at the Autism Database at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU). Questionnaires were adopted from the available literature.
The modified questionnaire elicited in what has been operationalized as perceived indices remedial and rehabilitation, utilization and perception of psychiatric services, problems faced for being caregiver with children with ASD and expenses of taking care of children with ASD.
Results: Out of 150 ASD families surveyed, low-income families constituted 47% (n = 70), middle income was 33% (n=50), and the rest were those defined as wealthy families. The data suggest that commanding higher income is no guarantee for being satisfied with coping with all what is entailed to caring for children with ASD. On the other hand, presence of such children reduces on supply for required quality of life. The situation is further compounded with lack of organized remedial and rehabilitation and social services for children with ASD.
Conclusion: The burden for caregiver of children with ASD is considerably high noted on this particular Arab/Islamic population. The situation is comparable with situations in other parts of the world. With wide recognition that children with ASD tend to create slight but exhausting social and economic complication, an initiative that is global on its outlook would be essential. Factors to ease such conditions are therefore vital in order to improve the quality of life of ASD families.
