Qualité de vie des parents d'enfants présentant un trouble du spectre de l'autisme : étude transversale descriptive dans un contexte marocain

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with a growing prevalence, whose impact on parental quality of life remains insufficiently documented in Arab and North African cultural contexts. This study aimed to assess the quality of life of parents of children with ASD attending child psychiatry consultations in Marrakech and to explore associated sociodemographic and clinical factors. Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted involving 62 parents of children and adolescents diagnosed with ASD according to DSM-5 criteria and recruited at Ibn Nafis Hospital in Marrakech. Parental quality of life was assessed using an Arabic adaptation of the PAR-DD-QOL questionnaire (PAR-AR-QOL). Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics and comparisons of means using analysis of variance (ANOVA), with statistical significance set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean total parental quality-of-life score was 2.88 ± 0.61, indicating moderate impairment. Global self-assessment (item 17) showed that the most frequently reported categories were “average” (30.4%) and “unsatisfactory” (28.6%). Parental psychiatric history was the only factor significantly associated with the total score (p < 0.001). Conclusion: This study highlights moderate impairment in parental quality of life in the Moroccan context of ASD. Parental psychiatric history was the only factor significantly associated with the total parental quality-of-life score in our sample. These findings support the systematic integration of psychosocial support for parents into comprehensive ASD care.