a study on health-related quality of life, depression, and associated factors among parents of children with autism in kermanshah, iran

Background: the focus of recent research has significantly shifted from explaining the causes and symptoms of autism to investigating issues related to the parents of autistic children. objectives: this study aimed to investigate health-related quality of life (hrqol), depression, and associated factors among parents of autistic children in kermanshah, iran. methods: in this cross sectional study performed in 2015, a total of 97 male and female parents of autistic children completed 3 questionnaires: background/demographic checklist, 36-item short-form health survey (sf-36), and beck’s depression inventory. data were analyzed using spss version 18. results: analysis of the general physical health domain of hrqol demonstrated no significant difference between men and women (p > 0.05). on the other hand, in all subdomains of mental health, women’s scores were higher in comparison with men, and there was a significant difference in the mental health domain. also, analysis of depression level revealed that 25.8% of the subjects had severe depression. conclusions: given the low level of qol and depressive symptoms in more than two-thirds of parents of autistic children, psychological empowerment of this group is recommended.