Kousha Maryam, Attar Hoda Alizadeh, Shoar Zohreh
Department of Psychiatry, Shafa Hospital, Gilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Islamic Republic of Iran.
Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA
J Child Health Care. 2016 Sep;20(3):405-14. doi: 10.1177/1367493515598644. Epub 2015 Aug 26.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is being more recognized and diagnosed in developing as well as developed countries. We aimed to investigate the frequency of anxiety, depression, and quality of life in mothers of children with ASD in Iranian families. We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study on demographic data and mental health characteristics of 127 mothers of children with ASD. Mothers of children with ASD had high levels of anxiety (72.4%), depression (49.6%), and low scores of health-related quality of life (HRQOL). There was strong association between the child's age and the severity of mother's depression and QOL. Duration since diagnosis of ASD positively correlated with maternal depression. Anxiety, depression, and low HRQOL are more common in Iranian mothers with autistic children in our study. Our findings have implications for further investigation in mental health status of mothers of children with ASD, and providing educational support and interventional strategies may improve the mental health status of the entire family.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）在发展中国家和发达国家都越来越受到认可和诊断。我们旨在调查伊朗家庭中患有ASD儿童的母亲的焦虑、抑郁频率及生活质量。我们对127名患有ASD儿童的母亲的人口统计学数据和心理健康特征进行了描述性横断面研究。患有ASD儿童的母亲焦虑水平较高（72.4%）、抑郁水平较高（49.6%），且健康相关生活质量（HRQOL）得分较低。孩子的年龄与母亲抑郁的严重程度及生活质量之间存在密切关联。自ASD诊断以来的时间与母亲抑郁呈正相关。在我们的研究中，焦虑、抑郁和低HRQOL在患有自闭症儿童的伊朗母亲中更为常见。我们的研究结果对进一步调查患有ASD儿童的母亲的心理健康状况具有启示意义，提供教育支持和干预策略可能会改善整个家庭的心理健康状况。
