Quality of life assessment in children: a review of conceptual and methodological issues in multidimensional health status measures
Authors:
Pal, D. K.
Abstract:
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To clarify concepts and methodological problems in existing multidimensional health status measures for children.
DESIGN: Thematic review of instruments found by computerised and manual searches, 1979-95.
SUBJECTS: Nine health status instruments.
MAIN RESULTS: Many instruments did not satisfy criteria of being child centered or family focussed; few had sufficient psychometric properties for research or clinical use; underlying conceptual assumptions were rarely explicit.
CONCLUSIONS: Quality of life measures should be viewed cautiously. Interdisciplinary discussion is required, as well as discussion with children and parents, to establish constructs that are truly useful.
Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period and related symptoms Congenital malformations, deformations and chromosomal abnormalities and related symptoms Diseases of and symptoms related to the blood and blood-forming organs and certain disorders involving the immune mechanism Diseases of and symptoms related to the circulatory system Diseases of and symptoms related to the digestive system Diseases of and symptoms related to the ear and mastoid process Diseases of and symptoms related to the eye and adnexa Diseases of and symptoms related to the genitourinary system Diseases of and symptoms related to the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue Diseases of and symptoms related to the nervous system Diseases of and symptoms related to the respiratory system Diseases of and symptoms related to the skin and subcutaneous tissue Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases and related symptoms External causes of morbidity and mortality Injury, poisoning and certain other consequences of external causes Mental and behavioural disorders and related symptoms Neoplasms and related symptoms Pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium and related symptom Symptoms, signs and abnormal clinical and laboratory findings, not elsewhere classified