Nguồn lực hỗ trợ xã hội đối với gia đình trẻ rối loạn phổ tự kỉ giai đoạn đầu tiên sau chẩn đoán

Tóm tắt

Access to social support resources during the early period following a child’s diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder plays a crucial role in helping parents adapt and effectively support their child’s care and intervention. This study describes the level of support that parents retrospectively reported receiving during the early period after their child was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and examines the associations between selected demographic characteristics and the level of support received from social support resources. A mixed-methods design was employed, combining a questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews. Quantitative analyses were conducted with 290 parents of children with autism spectrum disorder who reported having received support from at least one social support resource during the early post-diagnosis period. The findings indicated that spouses were the highest-rated source of support (M = 4.51), followed by maternal grandparents (M = 3.83), paternal grandparents (M = 3.72), and teachers and educational staff (M = 3.40). Lower levels of support were reported from relatives, friends, colleagues, neighbors, and local government officials. Parents’ gender, religion, educational attainment, and the child’s level of autism severity were associated with the level of support received from certain sources. The findings provide empirical evidence on the self-reported social support network of parents who had received support and highlight the need to strengthen connections between families and professional as well as community-based resources to expand support networks.