Challenges of Mothers of Children with Autism, A Way to Improve Their Mental Health: A Review Study

Introduction & Objectives: Autism spectrum disorders are among the most prevalent developmental disorders characterized by difficulties in social communication and limited behavioral patterns, repetition of specific behaviors or activities. The families of these patients face many problems associated with these patients, which make difficult their normal life. The purpose of this study is to examine the challenges of families, especially mothers with autistic children that are the critical points to empower and enhance their quality of life.Method: In this review study to find documentation of the challenges of mothers withautistic children, the Medline and some other Iranian databases (i.e. SID and Magiran) weresearched using the keywords of Autism AND Family AND Challenge * and Autism Spectrum Disorder [Mesh] and Autistic Disorder [Mesh]. No time limit was setto get the most relevant resources.Results: The presence of children with autism raises many challenges in the family in particular for mothers who, in most cases, are first-rate caregivers. These challenges consisted of being at risk of mental disorders, insufficient financial, social and health support, severe child dependency, lack of knowledge about how to deal with disorder, lack of communication skills and experiencing social isolation.Discussion and Conclusion: Based on the results, the widespread and severe disability of children with autism is clearly a difficult experience for families and often comes with a series of challenges for family caregivers. Health professionals can take a step towards empowering them by recognizing and timely responding to these challenges.

کلیدواژه ها:

Autism ، Challenge ، Mothers ، Empowerment ، Quality of Life