Saranek Lara M, Shraim Mujahed, Abdel Aati Nazim, Al-Jayyousi Ghadir Fakhri
Department of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, QU Health Sector, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar.
Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics, International Child Development Centers, Doha, Qatar.
J Multidiscip Healthc. 2025 Sep 9;18:5663-5676. doi: 10.2147/JMDH.S525521. eCollection 2025.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder that is often associated with mental health comorbidities. Parents are challenged with raising a child diagnosed with ASD. However, research about parental challenges in Arab countries is limited. The study aims to explore parents' experiences of raising a child with ASD and accessing early interventions provided for their children in Qatar.
An inductive qualitative study design was applied. Data was collected using face-to-face interviews with parents (n=20). Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and thematic analysis was employed.
The main elicited themes from the analysis were mainly about: challenges of raising a child diagnosed with ASD; parents' perception of existing ASD services; parents' perception of mental health services for children diagnosed with ASD; parents' perception of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on ASD services; and the impact of raising a child diagnosed with ASD on parents.
Parents face challenges with raising a child diagnosed with ASD and with accessing ASD early intervention services for their children. The findings guide health care professionals working with children with ASD and their families, and policy makers in developing standards of care for ASD service in the governmental facilities in Qatar.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）是一种终身神经发育障碍，常伴有心理健康共病。父母在抚养被诊断患有ASD的孩子时面临挑战。然而，关于阿拉伯国家父母面临挑战的研究有限。本研究旨在探讨卡塔尔父母抚养患有ASD孩子的经历以及为其子女获得早期干预的情况。
采用归纳定性研究设计。通过与父母（n = 20）进行面对面访谈收集数据。访谈逐字转录，并采用主题分析法。
分析得出的主要主题主要包括：抚养被诊断患有ASD孩子的挑战；父母对现有ASD服务的看法；父母对被诊断患有ASD孩子的心理健康服务的看法；父母对COVID-19大流行对ASD服务影响的看法；以及抚养被诊断患有ASD孩子对父母的影响。
父母在抚养被诊断患有ASD的孩子以及为其子女获得ASD早期干预服务方面面临挑战。这些发现为从事ASD儿童及其家庭工作的医疗保健专业人员以及卡塔尔政府机构制定ASD服务护理标准的政策制定者提供了指导。
