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Autism, Mothers and Quality of Life: and Dissertation Defense

<p> &nbsp;</p> <p align="center"> <strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; ">Dissertation Defense</strong></p> <p align="center"> <strong>Factors Associated with Quality of Life Among Mothers&nbsp;</strong><strong>of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders&nbsp;</strong></p> <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:DocumentProperties> <o:Template>Normal.dotm</o:Template> <o:Revision>0</o:Revision> <o:TotalTime>0</o:TotalTime> <o:Pages>1</o:Pages> <o:Words>2</o:Words> <o:Characters>15</o:Characters> <o:Company>VMASC</o:Company> <o:Lines>1</o:Lines> <o:Paragraphs>1</o:Paragraphs> <o:CharactersWithSpaces>18</o:CharactersWithSpaces> <o:Version>12.0</o:Version> </o:DocumentProperties> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> <w:UseFELayout/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;} </style> <![endif]--><!--StartFragment--> <p align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:center"> <strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt">Marian Marconyak</span></strong><span style="mso-bidi-font-size:16.0pt"><o:p></o:p></span></p> <!--EndFragment--> <p align="center"> ABSTRACT</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman"> The increasing prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) has brought&nbsp;associated effects upon the quality of life (QOL) of mothers of children with ASDs.&nbsp;These mothers are subject to both negative and positive effects upon their lives in their&nbsp;role as caregivers to these special children. The purpose of this study was to assess the&nbsp;QOL among mothers of children with ASDs and the relationship between the World&nbsp;Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health&nbsp;(ICF) framework components (Body Functions and Structures, Activities, Participation,&nbsp;Environmental, and Personal Factors), or independent variables, and QOL of the mothers.&nbsp;The WHO Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) provided the Physical,&nbsp;Psychological, Social Relationship, Environmental, and Total QOL scores.&nbsp;Mothers were recruited through internet sites and completed a web based&nbsp;questionnaire consisting of 65 questions. A sample size of 149 mothers, 46% between&nbsp;the ages of 35-44 years, completed the questionnaires. The average age of the children&nbsp;was 11.52 (SD 7.56) years. Linear regression analysis was performed on the individual&nbsp;variable relationships with each QOL score. The highest number of individual variables&nbsp;predicting QOL was found in the ICF Body Structures and Functions and Participation&nbsp;components. Multiple regression analysis was used to develop models to describe the&nbsp;various ICF component relationships with the QOL scores. The full models developed&nbsp;by using All Significant ICF Components predicted over 30% of the variance in four&nbsp;models for the Physical, Psychological, Environmental, and Total QOL scores. Trends&nbsp;were noted in significant individual factors associated with a decrease in QOL domain&nbsp;scores including the mother&rsquo;s comorbid conditions of arthritis, pain, and diabetes.&nbsp;Significant factors associated with higher of QOL domain scores included income, sleep&nbsp;hours of the mother and the child, and information sources.</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman"> &nbsp;</p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times New Roman"> &nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-top: 9px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; "> <strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; ">Dissertation Chair: &nbsp;</strong>Dr. Gianluca De Leo</p> <p style="margin-top: 9px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; "> <strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; ">Dissertation Committee:</strong>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Dr. Linda Bennington, Dr. Cindy Little</p> <p> &nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p style="margin-top: 9px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; "> <strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; "><em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic; ">College of Health Sciences</em></strong></p> <p style="margin-top: 9px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; "> <strong style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-weight: bold; "><em style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; font-style: italic; ">Room 3014</em></strong></p> <p style="margin-top: 9px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; "> March 12, 2014</p> <p style="margin-top: 9px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 9px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; font-size: 12px; font: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; line-height: 18px; "> 1:00 pm</p> <p> &nbsp;</p> <p> &nbsp;</p>

Posted By: Gianluca de Leo
Date: Fri Feb 28 07:31:51 EST 2014

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