Parent Voices on Parent Training and Family Quality of Life

Parent training programs are designed to strengthen parents’ knowledge, skills, and capacity to address their child’s needs within daily routines. Although family well-being has long been recognized as an important outcome, less is known about how parents perceive parent training in relation to their family quality of life (FQOL). This qualitative study explored how 10 parents of autistic children in the United States defined and described their FQOL and reflected on their experiences with parent training. Findings highlighted that parents viewed balance across caregiving, work, and personal life as an important aspect of FQOL. Caregiving demands and barriers to services were identified as major stressors, whereas family closeness and bonding emerged as an important enhancer. Findings also underscored several key components that could be incorporated into parent training to support FQOL, such as building rapport with families, tailoring interventions to family contexts, involving family members, enhancing the relevance and application of strategies, and fostering empowerment through advocacy and knowledge. These findings suggest practical directions for designing parent training that builds family capacity and supports both child development and family well-being.