Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
39th Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society., Groningen, Hollanda, 26 - 29 Ağustos 2025, ss.178, (Özet Bildiri)
Culture plays an important role in shaping healthcare access and experience We aimed to systematically
review and synthesize qualitative literature on the barriers and facilitators of healthcare access reported by
parents of autistic children who identify with a minority ethnic heritage.
The review protocol was pre-registered on Prospero (CRD42022304090). A systematic search using key
words was undertaken on the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, The Cochrane Library,
PsycARTICLES, Web of Science. Results were exported and duplicates removed. Titles and abstracts were
screened against inclusion criteria, before full text review of potential articles. Analysis was conducted in NVivo
software using a thematic synthesis approach, which included line-by-line coding, development of descriptive
themes, and development of analytical themes. Study quality was assessed using the CASP tool.
1317 papers were screened and 104 were included in the review. Three themes were identified: accessing
healthcare is challenging, parental challenges and strengths, support infrastructure with each including
specific subthemes. Together, the themes elucidated the complex interplay of factors that shape parental
experiences ranging from health service design, cultural barriers to social support and inclusion challenges.
This is the first comprehensive review of healthcare experiences amongst minority ethnic parents of autistic
children in a range of settings. The findings highlight many shared challenges across contexts though the
powerful influence of societal positioning of autism remerges as a key factor alongside wider healthcare
infrastructure. There is a need for public awareness to work in tandem with progressing ease of access to care
to support children and families.