Relationships between early childhood intervention services, family quality of life and parent occupations: A mixed-methods Australian study

ABSTRACT

Disability-related services such as Early Childhood Intervention Services (ECIS) become a part of life for families when there is a child with disability. Many parents give up their everyday occupations such as self-care and paid work to be able to provide long-term caregiving. This Australian study explored parent perspectives of their family quality of life (FQOL) when there is a child with disability. It examined the relationships between ECIS, parent occupations and FQOL. A mixed-methods concurrent triangulation design was used. The Beach Center FQOL survey (N = 72) and 12 semi-structured interviews were conducted. There were high scores for overall satisfaction with Total FQOL and associations between FQOL, ECIS and parent occupations. The four themes highlighted that despite FQOL being fluctuating and challenging, positive adaptations (normalization) and positive beliefs helped FQOL. Parents were hopeful that their child would continue to progress in the future (stability). This study concluded that receiving family-centered and timely ECIS is positive for FQOL. While parenting was considered an important occupation, loss of previous occupations such as paid work and time for self-care had a detrimental influence on FQOL.

KEYWORDS:

• Early childhood intervention
• family quality of life
• children with disability
• families
• parents
• early intervention
• occupation
• mixed methods
• children