| Autor: |
ALRuwaili BF; Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia., Alrashdi BAT; Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia.; Department of General Administration of Health Programs, Diabetes Control Program, Ministry of Health, Riyadh 12542, Saudi Arabia., Mallick A; Department of Family and Community Medicine, College of Medicine, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia., Alruwaili TAM; Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia., Alanazi MF; Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Radiology, College of Medicine, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia., Alruwaili HFS; Department of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Maternity and Children Hospital, Arara 73241, Saudi Arabia., Alanazi WF; Department of Intensive Care Unit, Aljouf Health Cluster, Alquryyat Hospital, Alquryyat 77453, Saudi Arabia., Alanazi WM; Department of Intensive Care Unit, Aljouf Health Cluster, Alquryyat Hospital, Alquryyat 77453, Saudi Arabia., Altaymani AFM; College of Medicine, Jouf University, Sakaka 72388, Saudi Arabia. |
| Abstrakt: |
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 ( p = 038). The high and positive attitude was significantly greater among females ( p = 0.010) and parents with high income ( p = 0.007), and the perception was significantly associated with females ( p = 0.037) and highly educated participants ( p = 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. |
