Impairment of quality of life in parents of children and adolescents with pervasive developmental disorder
2007

Quality of Life in Parents of Children with Developmental Disorders

Sample size: 289 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Mugno Diego, Ruta Liliana, D'Arrigo Valentina, Mazzone Luigi

Primary Institution: University of Catania

Hypothesis

Parents of children with Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD) might display a higher impairment of quality of life compared to parents of children with other conditions.

Conclusion

Parents of children with PDDs experience a higher burden, likely due to a combination of environmental and genetic factors.

Supporting Evidence

  • Parents of children with PDDs reported lower quality of life compared to parents of healthy children.
  • Mothers of children with PDDs showed significantly lower scores in physical health and overall perception of quality of life.
  • Fathers in the PDDs group had lower scores in social relationships compared to the control group.

Takeaway

Parents of kids with certain disabilities feel more stressed and less happy than parents of kids without those disabilities.

Methodology

Quality of Life was assessed using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire among parents of children with PDDs, MR, and CP, compared to a control group.

Potential Biases

Potential bias due to self-reported measures and differences in assessment methods between groups.

Limitations

The study did not account for socioeconomic status, psychiatric comorbidities in children, or treatment options, and had a limited sample size.

Participant Demographics

The study included 212 parents (115 mothers and 97 fathers) of children with PDDs, MR, or CP, and 77 parents of healthy children.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p = 0.0001

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1477-7525-5-22

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