Scientific Journal of Pediatrics
Vol. 3 No. 2 (2025): Scientific Journal of Pediatrics

Family Support Domains and Quality of Social Interaction in School-Aged Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study in Palembang, Indonesia

Ahmad Fadhil Kurnia (Medical Study Program, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muhammadiyah Palembang, Palembang, Indonesia)
Trisnawati (Department of Histology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muhammadiyah Palembang, Palembang, Indonesia)
Yuni Fitrianti (Department of Biochemistry and Medical Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Muhammadiyah Palembang, Palembang, Indonesia)
Hazian Hamzah (International Medical School, Management & Science University, Shah Alam, Malaysia)



Article Info

Publish Date
08 Jun 2026

Abstract

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects approximately one in 100 children worldwide, and family support is a modifiable determinant of pediatric social functioning, yet the contribution of distinct family-support domains to social-interaction quality remains poorly characterized in Indonesian children. We quantified the association between five Friedman-framework family-support domains (emotional, informational, reward, instrumental, social/network) and social-interaction quality. Methods: In a cross-sectional analytical study at Sekolah Luar Biasa Negeri Pembina Palembang during November–December 2024, 36 of 40 eligible caregivers of children with ASD aged 7–12 years (mean 9.9 years, 91.7% male) completed Friedman's family-support inventory and the Indonesian Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP). Spearman correlations with Fisher-z-derived confidence intervals, multivariable logistic regression, receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) discriminative-performance analysis, and pre-specified subgroup analyses were performed. Results: Social interaction was moderate in 58.3%, low in 25.0%, and high in 16.7%. Network/social support showed the strongest correlation with ASSP score (ρ = 0.654, 95% CI 0.413–0.808, p < 0.001), and in multivariable regression remained the only independent predictor of non-low quality (adjusted OR 6.42, 95% CI 1.48–27.83, p = 0.013; Nagelkerke R² = 0.547). The composite family-support score discriminated low from non-low quality with AUC = 0.832 (95% CI 0.701–0.963; Youden cut-off ≈ 85, sensitivity 0.78, specificity 0.81). Conclusion: Network/social support is the predominant family-support component shaping social-interaction quality in Indonesian children with ASD, supporting pediatric primary-care screening focused on caregiver social connectedness.

Copyrights © 2025






Journal Info

Abbrev

sjped

Publisher

Subject

Health Professions Immunology & microbiology Medicine & Pharmacology Nursing Public Health

Description

Focus Scientific Journal of Pediatrics (SJPed) focused on the development of medical sciences especially pediatrics and child health for human well-being. Scope Scientific Journal of Pediatrics (SJPed) publishes articles which encompass all aspects of basic research/clinical studies related to the ...