Effect of social and school inclusion on adjustment and quality of life of parents with a child having an autism spectrum disorder

Social and school inclusion for people with autistic spectrum disorder is an important current issue. Thus, the objective of this study was to consider the effect of social and school inclusion on parents' adjustment and quality of life. We met 160 parents who filled out several self-rating scales for assessing: 1) information about the child and the family situation; 2) perceived stress; 3) perceived social support; 4) perceived control; 5) coping strategies; 6) quality of life. The results show that parents with a child who goes to school and those with a child who has leisure activities in ordinary environment, are less stressed, use more effective coping strategies and have a better quality of life. (C) 2012 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.