| Abstrakt: |
Partners of persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) face ongoing challenges that affect various aspects of their lives. Elucidating the variables associated with quality of life (QOL) of partners of persons with ASD to promote their well-being is important; however, research on this topic is limited. To fill this gap, we used an explanatory sequential design of mixed methods to collect quantitative and qualitative data from a questionnaire survey administered to 253 partners of persons with ASD in Japan. In the quantitative survey, a generalized linear model was used to examine the relationship of QOL with support network size and negative support network size. In the qualitative survey, we performed a thematic analysis of the participants’ subjective responses regarding expectations of the world, society, and government. The general linear model analysis results demonstrated a significant relationship between QOL and support network size, including negative support network size. Moreover, the thematic analysis of the subjective responses revealed that partners desired to gain an have a safe place that provides a sense of belonging, alleviate feelings of loneliness, improved policies for persons with ASD and their families, improved understanding of ASD among the general population, improved policies for people caring for persons with ASD and their families. Our findings provide new insights into the QOL of partners of persons with ASD. Additionally, our findings demonstrate the need to promote the understanding of ASD in society and provide psychosocial support to partners of persons with ASD. |
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