title: Variation in socio-economic burden for caring of children with autism spectrum disorder in Oman: caregiver perspectives.
abstract: A cross-sectional study was conducted to investigate whether caregiver's variations in socioeconomic status (SES) has direct bearing on challenges of nurturing children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Oman. A cadre of caregivers (n = 150) from two types of SES (low-income and middle-high income) were compared based on four domains: (1) accessing and perception of remedial services, (2) utilization and perception of psychiatric services, (3) constraints for being a caregiver of children with ASD and (4) financial expenses of taking care of children with ASD. There is little indication that any particular SES fare well on these domains. Factors to mitigate such predicaments are therefore imperative in order to improve quality of life for caregivers among children with ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, P.O. Box 35, 123, Al-Khoudh, Sultanate of Oman. ymfarsi@squ.edu.om
authors.forename: Yahya M
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Al-Farsi
authors.forename: Mostafa I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Waly
authors.forename: Marwan M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Al-Sharbati
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Shafaee
authors.forename: Omar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Al-Farsi
authors.forename: Samiya
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Fahdi
authors.forename: Allal
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ouhtit
authors.forename: Maha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Al-Khaduri
authors.forename: Samir
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Al-Adawi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000191:economics*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009850:Oman; D011788:Quality of Life; D012923:Social Class; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires