Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception towards Autism Spectrum Disorders among Parents in Sakaka, Al-Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Knowledge, Attitude, and Perception towards Autism Spectrum Disorders among Parents in Sakaka, Al-Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Parents are an essential element of family intervention for all children, including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We can better understand and address parents' knowledge gaps about ASD through in-depth research and inquiry into parents' current level of understanding, attitu...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Healthcare (Basel) Vol. 12; no. 16; p. 1596
Main Authors: ALRuwaili, Bashayer Farhan, Alrashdi, Bader Abdullah T, Mallick, Ayesha, Alruwaili, Thamer Alshami Marghel, Alanazi, Muhannad Faleh, Alruwaili, Hanan Farhan S, Alanazi, Wael Faleh, Alanazi, Waad Mudhhi, Altaymani, Abdullah Fehaid Mukhlef
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 10-08-2024
MDPI
Subjects:
Artificial intelligence
attitude
Attitudes
Autism
autism spectrum disorder
Behavior
Children
Children & youth
Cross-sectional studies
early interventions
Families & family life
females
Health literacy
Knowledge
Parents
Parents & parenting
perception
Perceptions
Pervasive developmental disorders
Surveys
Saudi Arabia
Asia
early interventions
autism spectrum disorder
females
attitude
knowledge
perception
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Summary:Parents are an essential element of family intervention for all children, including those with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). We can better understand and address parents' knowledge gaps about ASD through in-depth research and inquiry into parents' current level of understanding, attitude, and perception. We aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and perception of ASD and influencing factors towards ASD among a group of parents with and without a child diagnosed with ASD in Sakaka, Al-Jouf Region, Saudi Arabia. Using the cross-sectional study design, information from the parents was gathered using a pretested questionnaire that included validated scales for measuring knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions related to ASD. The required number of participants was selected using the convenience sampling method. We used Spearman's correlation test to determine the strength and direction of correlation between each domain. As a last step, we analyzed the influencing factors using binomial logistic regression. Among the 400 participants, 41.2% had high knowledge, 69.1% had a positive attitude, and 60.3% had a high perception of ASD. We found that knowledge was significantly higher among the parents with autistic individuals in the family ( = 038). The high and positive attitude was significantly greater among females ( = 0.010) and parents with high income ( = 0.007), and the perception was significantly associated with females ( = 0.037) and highly educated participants ( = 0.046). Furthermore, we found a positive correlation between knowledge, attitude, and perception. Overall, only less than half of the participants had a high knowledge of ASD. Hence, we recommend awareness-raising programs for the parents in this region. Furthermore, a prospective study involving parents from all provinces of Saudi Arabia is recommended.
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ISSN:2227-9032
2227-9032
DOI:10.3390/healthcare12161596