Quality of Life of Families of Children with Speech Disorders

Under the influence of numerous life factors, speech constantly undergoes changes. Parents of children with speech and language disorders have a lower quality of life compared to the parents of children without. The study examined different domains of the quality of life of families with and without speech disorders.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in Serbia, in 2024, on a sample of 206 preschool children aged 5-7 years and their parents/guardians. As a research instrument, in addition to the General Questionnaire on sociodemographic characteristics of children and parents' respondents/guardians, the Family Quality of Life Survey (FQOL) was used to assess the family's quality of life.

Articulation disorder was detected in 78.2% of children. Difference between the two groups of parents was found in terms of place of residence, work status, education levels, and children's age. From the five domains of family quality of life, significance was found in the domain of family interaction regarding the support, support related to disability, and family safety. Regarding the physical/material well-being domain, the significance was found for dental care and parenting domains. No differences were found in the domain of emotional well-being.

The importance of the study reflects in the possibility of applying the obtained research results for the creation of educational programs that will encourage positive attitudes of parents and children about speech therapy interventions, which can influence successful rehabilitation of speech disorders and improve family quality of life.