Parent-Child Informant Discrepancies in Health-Related Quality of Life in Dutch Children with a Chronic Condition

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess parent-child discrepancies in perceived health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among children with a chronic condition at ages 10 and 12 in the Netherlands. Previous research highlighted the prevalence of parent-child informant discrepancies and found that these discrepancies are relevant and meaningful for the treatment of children with chronic conditions. It was hypothesized that parent-child informant discrepancies would be larger at age 12 than at age 10. Existing data was derived from the PROactive study at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital (WKZ). The sample consisted of 44 parent-child pairs of children at age 10 and age 12, with 57% of the children being girls. Results of a paired samples t test conducted in Jasp version 0.18.3 showed that parents have a more pessimistic view of their child's HRQOL over time, whereas children's self-report scores tend to improve over time. The findings of the present study highlight the importance of good guidance for children in coping with their disease. Concludingly, additional research is recommended to clarify the construct of health-related quality of life. Keywords: chronic condition, parent-child informant discrepancies, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), paired samples t test