592 - Differences in Quality of Life Among Caregivers of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Poster Number: 592
Publication Number: 592.309

Sari Bar, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, United States; Veronica Bordes Edgar, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School, Dallas, TX, United States; Sarah E. Messiah, University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health, Dallas, TX, United States; Sara Stephens, The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine, Houston, TX, United States; Matthew S. Mathew, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Dallas, TX, United States

Background: According to the Center for Disease Control, approximately one in six children are diagnosed with a developmental disability in the United States. Two specific disabilities with a high US prevalence include attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, 9.4%) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD, 2.3%). Previous research has reported that caregivers of children with ADHD and ASD experience more stress than caregivers of typically developing children. However, there is limited research evaluating the quality-of-life (QOL) of caregivers of children with ADHD and/or ASD.

Objective: This study aimed to compare caregiver quality of life among caregivers of children with ASD and/or ADHD.

Design/Methods: Patients in a Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics clinic between September 2018-August 2020 with diagnoses of ADHD and/or ASD were included. Caregivers were dichotomized into 3 groups: caregivers caring for children with ASD, caregivers caring for children with ADHD, or caregivers caring for children with both ASD and ADHD. An adapted version of the PedsQL Family Impact Module was used. The adapted version utilized 9 out of the 36 questions from the original questionnaire. Dichotomized questionnaire responses were “never” or ”always never” versus “often” or ”almost always”. Chi-square analysis, Kruskal-Wallis test, and logistic regression were used to assess for differences in covariates and mean scores by diagnostic category.

Results: The sample included 931 caregivers. The majority of their children were male (74.7%), non-Hispanic Caucasian (63.3%), and aged 6 to 12 years (57.8%). Significant differences were observed by patient age (p < 0.0001), preferred language (p=0.005), and insurance (p=0.001). Those with commercial insurance, children ages 6-12 and who preferred Spanish, reported lower QOL on several questions. Similarly, parents of children with ASD also reported lower QOL compared to the other groups. The ADHD group was more likely to report higher QOL than ASD or ASD+ADHD. Compared with the ASD group, the ADHD and combined groups reported less difficulty communicating how they are feeling with healthcare providers after controlling for race, age, language, and insurance. Compared to the ASD group, the ADHD group expressed less feelings of helplessness/hopelessness or isolation from others.Conclusion(s): Results show that caring for children with ADHD and ASD can significantly impact caregivers’ quality of life, particularly for those with a child with ASD. Pediatric clinics may find benefit from screening for caregiver stress during appointments.