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Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms are a common comorbidity in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Little is known about the impact that GI symptoms have on parental well-being. Parents of 409 children and adolescents with ASD completed the GI Symptoms Inventory, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, World Health Organization Quality of Life Abbreviated Version, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. High levels of stress were demonstrated by parents with 40.1% receiving clinically significant scores. A relationship was found between parental stress and GI symptoms. Parental anxiety and depression were found at high levels but were not more common in parents of individuals with GI symptoms than those without. Lower levels of quality of life were found in parents of individuals with GI symptoms compared to parents of individuals without GI symptoms. Parents of children with GI symptoms were less satisfied with their personal and social relationships with others. Parents of children with GI symptoms had lower scores on a measure of perceived social support than parents of children and adolescents without GI symptoms. GI symptoms are stressful for parents and future research is needed to determine how to alleviate this stress and to improve the quality of life of parents of individuals with ASD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lockdown was implemented in France, leading to profound changes in families' life. Studies showed emotional and behavioral difficulties in children and adults during this period. However, few research has focused on the longitudinal interactions between children's emotion regulation and parental emotional experience of the lockdown. Aim: This study aimed to examine the longitudinal bidirectional relationships between children's emotion regulation and parental emotional experience of the lockdown. Method: One hundred and twenty parents of children aged 5 to 12 answered two online questionnaires, at the start of the first lockdown (Time 1), and one month later (Time 2). Emotional dysregulation in children and parental emotional experience of the lockdown were assessed. Results: The results of the autoregressive cross-lagged analyses revealed that children's emotion regulation at Time 1 predicted lockdown-related parental emotional experience at Time 2, whereas lockdown-related parental emotional experience at Time 1 didn't predict children's emotion regulation at Time 2. Conclusion: This study suggested that parents of children with greater emotion regulation difficulties have had a worse emotional experience of the lockdown, without affecting the emotional regulation of children. Clinical implications and protective factors are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Frequency and relationship between child comorbid psychopathology and parental stress, quality of life (QoL), anxiety, depression, and social support were examined in parents of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parents of 152 children and adolescents with ASD completed the Autism Spectrum Disorder-Comorbid for Children, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, World Health Organization Quality of Life Abbreviated Version, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. A series of one-way multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to examine the relationship between child comorbid psychopathology and parental well-being. A relationship was found between parental QoL, depression and anxiety and child comorbid psychopathology. Results showed a relationship between parental stress and the severity of child conduct, and repetitive behaviors. This study adds to existing literature by demonstrating the relationship between comorbid psychopathology in children and adolescents in ASD and parental well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children can adversely impact parental quality of life (QoL). However, limited research exists among families in Saudi Arabia, especially in understudied regions like Jazan. This study was designed to determine the QoL in parents of children with ADHD in Jazan, Saudi Arabia. Methodology This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia from June 2023 to December 2023. Online questionnaires were used to collect data from parents of children with ADHD residing in the country. A structured questionnaire was developed in consultation with the National Institute for Children's Health Quality (NICHQ) guidelines. The total sample size was 276. The study participants were recruited through convenient non-random snowballing sampling where the promotion of the questionnaire web link aided in reaching the required sample size of the study. Participants aged more than 18 years, residents of the Jazan area, and both genders were included. R software was used for data analysis. Results The study, involving 275 participants, revealed that 45 (16%) children were diagnosed with ADHD by doctors, with a higher prevalence among males 36 (80%). The NICHQ scale identified ADHD in 50 (18%) participants, with the predominant subtypes being inattentive 28 (56%), hyperactive/impulsive 28 (56%), and combined 19 (38%). The median QoL score was 8.6, with good QoL reported by 51.27% of parents and poor QoL by 48.73%. Gender significantly influenced QoL (p < 0.01), with 57% of males and 43% of females reporting good QoL, while 61% of females and 39% of males reported poor QoL. Oppositional defiant symptoms were significantly associated with poorer QoL (p < 0.05). There was a notable alignment between ADHD diagnoses from parental reports and the NICHQ scale. Conclusions This cross-sectional study found that parents of children with ADHD behaviors, especially those exhibiting oppositional defiant symptoms, experienced significantly lower QoL, particularly in personal fulfillment and psychosocial well-being. The findings emphasize the need for culturally tailored psychosocial interventions in Saudi Arabia to improve parental coping and QoL, benefiting overall family well-being and child outcomes., Competing Interests: Human subjects: Consent was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Jazan University issued approval REC-44/07/531. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Jareebi et al.)

Pediatric cochlear implantation (CI) provides sound perception to children with significant sensorineural hearing loss and, despite its challenging process, early implantation can enhance children's speech/language outcomes and potentially improve parental quality of life (PQoL). This study aims to examine parental perspectives on quality of life and parenting children with CI. This study combined retrospective chart review and parent reported outcomes. Data were abstracted from medical charts of 85 children who underwent CI between 2016 and 2022 at a tertiary pediatric hospital. Parents were administered the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-MCHL), an 8-item self-report assessment of quality of life for parents of children with CI. Multivariate linear regression analyses examined clinical factors associated with PQoL scores. Parents whose children were implanted at less than two years of age reported significantly higher PQoL, indicated by lower AAQ scores, with a mean AAQ-MCHL of 7.6 + 5.7. In contrast, implantation at age >2 years yielded a mean AAQ-MCHL of 16.2 + 9.6. Parents interviewed within one year post-surgery reported lower PQoL, with a mean AAQ-MCHL of 12.3 + 8.8 compared to those interviewed after one year, with 20.5 + 10.4. Early identification of profound hearing loss in children, coupled with early surgical CI, may be associated with higher parental quality of life. The beneficial outcomes appear to be potentiated over time. Further research is essential to fully comprehend the impact of CI on the quality of life of children and their parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated the life quality of Chinese parents of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their association with child social impairment and childcare burden. The participants included 406 families of children with ASD and 513 families with typically developing (TD) children. The findings indicated that parents in the ASD group had a lower quality of life than parents in the TD group, whereas only mother of children with ASD experienced a greater childcare burden than mother with TD children. Lower parental quality of life were associated with higher social impairment of children. To further clarify the correlativity of child social impairment, parental quality of life and childcare burden, the mediation analyses were conducted. The results showed that childcare burden mediated the influence of child social impairment on maternal quality of life, while it has no mediating effect on fathers. It implies that social impairment of children affects parental quality of life in different ways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Quality of life (QoL) has not been studied up to now in single parents of children with cystic fibrosis (CF). We hypothesized lower QoL compared to parents living together with a partner. We explored whether single parents benefit in a comparable manner from a family-oriented inpatient rehabilitation (FOR) program provided in Germany. Methods: 260 parents of a child with CF (0-17 years), 40 of them single parents, were included. Their QoL was compared to partnered parents using Student's t test for independent samples. The positive impact of the FOR program on parents' QoL was examined in a subgroup of n = 56 parents using a 2 × 2 analysis of variance with repeated measures on discharge and 6 months later. Results: Single parents reported significantly lower QoL ( M = 54.89; SD = 12.44) than partnered parents ( M = 61.55; SD = 15.43; t(258) = −2.581; p = .010). Age of the child or employment status did not impact that difference. In the short term they benefit less from a FOR program than partnered parents (group × time effect: F(1) = 4.832; p = .032), but this was no longer the case at the 6-month follow-up (group × time effect: F(1) = 1.443; p = .235). Conclusions: Single parents are at risk of lower QoL. CF care teams should help these parents in particular when it comes to accessing social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a multidimensional model of the caregiving process, the main goal of this study was to examine the direct and indirect links, via acceptance and denial coping, between the caregiving burden and the quality of life (QoL) in parents of children with asthma. The sample was composed of 182 parents of a child/adolescent between 8 and 18 years of age with a clinical diagnosis of asthma. Data were obtained via self-report questionnaires assessing the caregiving burden, acceptance and denial coping strategies and QoL. Results from structural equation modelling indicated a good fit for the mediation model, which explained 30% of the variability of the parents’ QoL. Higher levels of caregiving burden were negatively and indirectly associated with the parents’ QoL, via less use of acceptance and greater use of denial coping strategies. Multigroup analyses ascertained the invariance of these links across the children’s asthma severity, age and socio-economic groups. These findings emphasise acceptance and denial as important coping mechanisms in the caregiving process. Thus, broad-spectrum family-centred interventions in paediatric asthma settings can target the development of the parents’ coping tendencies characterised by greater acceptance and less denial as a way of reappraising caregiving demands as less burdensome and improving their QoL. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: To study the impact of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) on parental quality of life (QoL) at adolescence using the parental-developmental disorders-quality of life scale (Par-DD-QoL). Methods: One hundred and fifty-two mothers of adolescents with ASD completed Par-DD-QoL. This scale assesses the following dimensions: emotional, daily disturbance and global QoL. This cross-sectional study uses a subset of data collected at the final time of a follow-up study (EpiTED cohort). Results: A polytomic regression identified an increase in aberrant behavior scores as the major independent risk factor for parental QoL. The identified protective factors were the increase in daily living, communication and object cognition scores and a higher number of siblings. Conclusions: Those results suggest that there is a negative effect of externalizing behaviors and a protective effect of adaptive skills, communication and object cognition on parental QoL. Study limitations and implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between children's reported symptom burden and their parents' quality of life, and whether parents' perceived stress mediates this relationship., Method: this was a cross-sectional quantitative research study. Convenience sampling was used to recruit 80 pairs of parents and their children with cancer. Advanced statistical methods were used to analyse the mediating effects of parental stress between children's symptom burden and parents' quality of life., Results: The results showed that parental stress was the mediator in the relationship between children's reported symptom burden and their parents' quality of life., Conclusions: Symptom burden was prevalent in Chinese children with cancer living in the community. Children's symptom burden is an important factor in predicting parental stress level, which simultaneously and directly lower parents' quality of life. The evidence in this study enlarges the knowledge base about the mediating effect of parental stress on the association between the symptom burden of children with cancer and their parents' quality of life. This evidence is crucial in paving the way for the development of interventions that improve the parental quality of life through stress-reduction programs.

• Epilepsy is more common in individuals with ASD compared to the general population. • It is noteworthy that seizures and EEG anomalies are common in autistic patients with intellectual disability. • Improving autism-specific symptoms will benefit children with ASD as well as help mitigate parenting anxiety in their caregivers. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is among the serious clinical pictures of early childhood, and its main symptoms are qualitative dysfunction in social interactions with impairment of verbal and nonverbal communication and limitations in interests and activities. This study aimed to examine the clinical conditions that mediate this comorbidity, compare parental quality of life in isolated ASD and ASD with epilepsy, demonstrate the relationships between clinical and EEG findings obtained in diagnostic evaluation, and examine the results in light of the literature. The study sample consisted of 154 ASD patients; 26 were girls (16.9 %) and 128 (83.1 %) were boys. Of the patients with epilepsy, seizures were focal in 14 patients (9.1 %), generalized in 9 patients (5.8 %), and unspecified in 1 patient (0.6 %). Intellectual ability was found to be a significant predictor of epilepsy diagnosis. Mean (SD) total scores in the Quality of Life in Autism Questionnaire were 131.84 (10.68) among mothers of children with ASD-epilepsy and 148.33 (14.03) among mothers of children with ASD alone (P <.001). Many psychiatric and medical conditions can co-occur with ASD. Determining the prognostic criteria for ASD is of great importance in coordinating lifelong autism rehabilitation. Improving autism-specific symptoms will benefit children with ASD as well as help mitigate parental anxiety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is one of the most common chronic diseases in childhood. Daily diabetes management poses a major challenge for parents. Intensive insulin therapy using continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) or multiple daily injections (MDI) are recommended for patients with T1D, but evidence for their effectiveness on parental quality of life (QOL) and glycemic control among children with T1D is inconclusive., Objectives: A systematic review was conducted to determine the best available evidence regarding the effectiveness of CSII compared to MDI on parental QOL and glycemic control among children with T1D., Methods: Studies in English and Chinese from 1978 to March 2015 were identified by searching electronic databases, published references, and unpublished studies. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing CSII with MDI related to parental QOL and glycemic control (HbA1c) among patients aged 18 years or below with T1D were included. Secondary outcomes were episodes of severe hypoglycemia (SH) and diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)., Results: Seven RCTs were identified. Parental QOL was reported in two studies, with one study reporting no significant improvement in the CSII group and one reporting a significant reduction in diabetes-related worry in the CSII group but increased frequency of stress relating to child medical care in the MDI group. Meta-analysis of seven RCTs involving 220 patients demonstrated that CSII was associated with significant decrease in HbA1c level (MD = -0.24%, 95% CI = -0.41 to -0.07, p = .006) compared to MDI. There were no significant differences in episodes of SH and DKA between the CSII and MDI groups., Linking Evidence to Action: CSII slightly reduced HbA1c by .24% compared to MDI. Based on two RCTs with small sample sizes, there is insufficient evidence to draw any conclusions on the beneficial effects of CSII compared with MDI on parental QOL among children with T1D. More RCTs with larger samples are needed., (© 2018 Sigma Theta Tau International.)