Duale Hodan A, Gele Abdi
Department of Maternal and Child Health, Somali Institute for Health Research (SIHR), Hargeisa, Somaliland.
Department of Health Service Research, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Skøyen, 222, 0213, Oslo, Norway.
Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2024 Feb 7;18(1):22. doi: 10.1186/s13034-024-00713-3.
The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has increased over the recent years; however, little is known about the experience of parents of children with autism in Africa such as Somalia. The aim of this study is to understand the knowledge on autism of Somali parents of children with autism and their perceptions of causes and treatment of ASD.
We conducted a qualitative study involving 22 parents of children with autism who lived in Mogadishu and Hargeisa; the two largest cities in Somalia. In-depth interviews were used to collect the data. Of the 22 participants, 9 were returned immigrants and 13 were local people (non-immigrants). Data were analysed using thematic analysis.
The data revealed that most of the parents hold the belief that their children's autism were caused by the measles vaccine. The findings demonstrated that parents sought diagnosis and treatment care from outside Somalia due to the lack of experience of health providers in the diagnosis and treatment of autism. The data also revealed a lack of knowledge about autism among the public with resultant stigma and discrimination against children with autism and their families.
Efforts to increase public knowledge on autism, its causes and treatments are of paramount importance, while a public health campaign designed to eliminate the stigma subjected to children with autism is necessary to improve the quality of life of children with autism and their caregivers. Finally, to counteract vaccine hesitancy, particularly in response to the measles vaccine, health policy makers should take steps to separate the cooccurrence of the onset of autism symptoms and the provision of the measles vaccine.
近年来，自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的患病率有所上升；然而，对于非洲索马里等地区自闭症儿童家长的经历却知之甚少。本研究的目的是了解索马里自闭症儿童家长对自闭症的认知以及他们对ASD病因和治疗的看法。
我们进行了一项定性研究，涉及居住在索马里最大的两个城市摩加迪沙和哈尔格萨的22名自闭症儿童家长。采用深度访谈收集数据。22名参与者中，9名是归国移民，13名是当地人（非移民）。使用主题分析法对数据进行分析。
数据显示，大多数家长认为孩子的自闭症是由麻疹疫苗引起的。研究结果表明，由于医疗服务提供者缺乏自闭症诊断和治疗经验，家长们前往索马里境外寻求诊断和治疗。数据还显示，公众对自闭症缺乏了解，导致对自闭症儿童及其家庭存在污名化和歧视。
努力提高公众对自闭症及其病因和治疗方法的认识至关重要，同时开展旨在消除对自闭症儿童污名化的公共卫生运动，对于改善自闭症儿童及其照顾者的生活质量是必要的。最后，为了应对疫苗犹豫，特别是针对麻疹疫苗的犹豫，卫生政策制定者应采取措施区分自闭症症状出现与接种麻疹疫苗的时间巧合。
