Quality of life, stress and burnout of mothers of autistic children – the case of Latvia

Background Caring for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) demands constant parental attention to all life activities. Mothers of children with ASD experience higher stress levels comparing to mothers of developmentally intact children. That can increase parental burnout, and inversely affect their quality of life (QOL). In addition, those living in East Europe suffer from lack of appropriate support. The study aims to investigate the association between stress, burnout and QOL among Latvian mothers of ASD children. Methods Mothers of ASD children (N = 76) were enrolled in the study using Internet platforms. We used Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Shirom-Melamed Burnout Scale (SMBS), and World Health Organization QOL (WHOQOL) questionnaires, and assessed socio-demographic data. Multiple logistic regression models adjusted for personal covariates were built for the association between PSS, SMBS and WHOQOL. Results Most of respondents were married (56.6%) 30-39 years old (52.6%), having male (84.2%) 6-10 years old (52.6%) children with ASD. Mean PSS and SMBS were 3.31±0.63 and 6.04±1.63, respectively. Strong significant correlation (rs = 0.75, p < 0.01) was found between PSS and SMBS, therefore, only SMBS was included in regression model. In fully adjusted multiple logistic regression model, better QOL was inversely associated with SMBS (odds ratio, OR = 0.35 [95% confidence interval 0.19; 0.62]), single family status (OR = 0.43 [0.20; 0.92]), and unemployed status of mother (OR = 0.12 [0.03; 0.50]), but not with age of mother and of the child. Conclusions Mothers of ASD children in East Europe are in high risk of stress, burnout and bad QOL, as the diagnostics and care for ASD children in these countries is insufficient, and support for their parents is not provided at the state level. Raising awareness of policy makers and public health authorities may help to improve this situation. Key messages Mothers of ASD children in East Europe should be treated at the state level to reduce their burnout and improve QOL. Raising awareness of policy makers and public health authorities may help to improve the situation of mothers of ASD children.