Article

Course of health-related quality of life in 9-16-year-old children with cerebral palsy: associations with gross motor abilities and mental health.

Department of Clinical Child and Family Studies, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Disability and Rehabilitation (impact factor: 1.5). 01/2010; 32(4):344-51. DOI:10.3109/09638280903166345 pp.344-51
Source: PubMed

ABSTRACT To chart the 3-year course of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of 9--13-year-old children with cerebral palsy (CP), and to determine its relationship with gross motor abilities and mental health.
Children (n = 91; 58 boys, mean age 11 years, age ranging from 8 years and 6 months to 13 years and 8 months) and parents were assessed annually with the TNO-AZL questionnaires for children's health-related quality of life as a dependent variable, and the gross motor function measure for children with CP and the child behaviour check list as independent variables. Results: The children reported lower HRQoL compared with children in the general population, but reported a higher HRQoL than their parents. The HRQoL remained fairly stable over the 3 years, except for an increase in the autonomy domain. The HRQOL was moderately associated with gross motor abilities, and negatively associated with internalising mental health problems. Externalising problems were only negatively associated with parent-reported HRQoL.
Children with CP are more resilient and positive about their HRQoL than their parents think they are. In general, mental health in children with CP appeared to be important in understanding their perceived QoL, in addition to the severity of the CP itself.

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    Article: The course of health-related quality of life of preschool children with cerebral palsy.
    M W Alsem, M Ketelaar, M Verhoef
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    ABSTRACT: Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the course of the health-related quality of life (HR-QoL) of children with cerebral palsy (CP) between the ages of 2.5 and 4.5 years, at both group and individual level. We also examined whether CP characteristics are helpful in understanding which children show a decrease in HR-QoL. Methods: HR-QoL of 72 children with CP was measured using the TNO-AZL Preschool children Quality of Life (TAPQOL) questionnaire at the ages of 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5 years. The course of HR-QoL was compared between groups with different CP characteristics. Results: Median scores for 10 of the 12 domains of the TAPQOL were found to be stable between ages 2.5 and 4.5 years. However, individual children showed great changes in HR-QoL at these ages, for all domains. A larger proportion of children with less severe CP showed a decrease in HR-QoL for the behaviour problems domain (p = 0.02), and a larger proportion of unilaterally affected children showed a decrease in HR-QoL regarding the anxiety (p < 0.001) and social functioning (p = 0.01) domains. Conclusions: Although the median HR-QoL of children with CP is generally stable at these ages, much variation in the course of HR-QoL exists between individual children. There is no clear association between motor functioning or limb distribution and a decrease in HR-QoL. [Box: see text].
    Disability and Rehabilitation 08/2012; · 1.50 Impact Factor
Data provided are for informational purposes only. Although carefully collected, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. The impact factor represents a rough estimation of the journal's impact factor and does not reflect the actual current impact factor. Publisher conditions are provided by RoMEO. Differing provisions from the publisher's actual policy or licence agreement may be applicable.

Keywords

3 years
 
3-year course
 
6 months
 
8 years
 
age 11 years
 
autonomy domain
 
cerebral palsy
 
child behaviour check list
 
children's health-related quality
 
dependent variable
 
Externalising problems
 
general population
 
gross motor abilities
 
gross motor function measure
 
higher HRQoL
 
independent variables
 
internalising mental health problems
 
lower HRQoL
 
parent-reported HRQoL
 
perceived QoL