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Factors Associated with Subjective Quality of Life of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Self-Report Versus Maternal Reports

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Abstract

We examined factors related to subjective quality of life (QoL) of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) aged 25–55 (n = 60), using the World Health Organization Quality of Life measure (WHOQOL-BREF). We used three different assessment methods: adult self-report, maternal proxy-report, and maternal report. Reliability analysis showed that adults with ASD rated their own QoL reliably. QoL scores derived from adult self-reports were more closely related to those from maternal proxy-report than from maternal report. Subjective factors such as perceived stress and having been bullied frequently were associated with QoL based on adult self-reports. In contrast, level of independence in daily activities and physical health were significant predictors of maternal reports of their son or daughter’s QoL.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the National Institute on Aging (R01 AG08768, Marsha Mailick, PI), the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (T32 HD07489, Marsha Mailick, PI), and the Autism Speaks (#7724, Marsha Mailick, PI). The present analysis was based on data collected at the UW-Madison Waisman Center site (M. Mailick, PI). We are extremely grateful to the families who participated in this study; without their generous support and commitment, our research would not be possible. We are also grateful for the support we received from the Waisman Center (P30 HD03352, Albee Messing, PI).

Author Contributions

All authors contributed extensively to the work presented in this paper.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1500 Highland Ave., Madison, WI, 53705, USA

    Jinkuk Hong, Lauren Bishop-Fitzpatrick, Leann E. Smith, Jan S. Greenberg & Marsha R. Mailick

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  1. Jinkuk Hong
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  2. Lauren Bishop-Fitzpatrick
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  3. Leann E. Smith
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  4. Jan S. Greenberg
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  5. Marsha R. Mailick
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jinkuk Hong.

Appendix

Appendix

See Table 5.

Table 5 Comparison of original WHOQOL-BREF items and items used in the current study (supplementary comments used to help individuals with ASD to understand questions better were presented in brackets [supp:])
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Hong, J., Bishop-Fitzpatrick, L., Smith, L.E. et al. Factors Associated with Subjective Quality of Life of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Self-Report Versus Maternal Reports. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 1368–1378 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2678-0

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