The use of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in children and adolescents as an outcome criterion to evaluate family oriented support for young carers in Germany: an integrative review of the literature
2008

Evaluating Health-Related Quality of Life in Young Carers

Sample size: 64 publication Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Jörg große Schlarmann, Sabine Metzing-Blau, Wilfried Schnepp

Primary Institution: Institute of Nursing Science, Witten/Herdecke University

Hypothesis

Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) is a suitable outcome criterion for evaluating family-oriented support for young carers.

Conclusion

The KIDSCREEN questionnaires are adequate for evaluating the intervention as they accurately cover the needs and problems of young carers.

Supporting Evidence

  • HRQOL is a multidimensional construct that includes physical, emotional, mental, social, and behavioral components.
  • Young carers' problems are well covered by the common domains of HRQOL.
  • The KIDSCREEN instrument was found to be the most accurate for assessing young carers' specific problems.

Takeaway

This study looked at how young people who care for sick family members can be better supported, and found a good way to measure their quality of life.

Methodology

An integrative review of literature was conducted, focusing on HRQOL definitions, assessment techniques, and relevance for young carers.

Limitations

The review is not systematic and only includes documents from PubMed, limiting the scope of included studies.

Participant Demographics

Young carers under the age of 18, primarily in Germany.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1186/1471-2458-8-414

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