Annual Research Review: Quality of life and childhood mental and behavioural disorders - a critical review of the research
- PMID: 27709604
- DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12645
Annual Research Review: Quality of life and childhood mental and behavioural disorders - a critical review of the research
Abstract
Background: An individual's subjective perception of well-being is increasingly recognized as an essential complement to clinical symptomatology and functional impairment in children's mental health. Measurement of quality of life (QoL) has the potential to give due weight to the child's perspective.
Scope and methodology: Our aim was to critically review the current evidence on how childhood mental disorders affect QoL. First, the major challenges in this research field are outlined. Then we present a systematic review of QoL in children and adolescents aged 0-18 years formally diagnosed with a mental and behavioural disorder, as compared to healthy or typically developing children or children with other health conditions. Finally, we discuss limitations of the current evidence base and future directions based on the results of the systematic review and other relevant literature.
Findings and conclusions: The systematic review identified 41 eligible studies. All were published after the year 2000 and 21 originated in Europe. The majority examined QoL in neurodevelopmental disorders, including attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (k = 17), autism spectrum disorder (k = 6), motor disorders (k = 5) and intellectual disability (k = 4). Despite substantial heterogeneity, studies demonstrate that self-reported global QoL is significantly reduced compared to typical/healthy controls across several disorders and QoL dimensions. Parents' ratings were on average substantially lower, casting doubt on the validity of proxy-report. Studies for large diagnostic groups such as depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, (early onset) schizophrenia and eating disorders are largely lacking. We conclude that representative, well-characterized normative and clinical samples as well as longitudinal and qualitative designs are needed to further clarify the construct of QoL, to derive measures of high ecological validity, and to examine how QoL fluctuates over time and is attributable to specific conditions or contextual factors.
Keywords: Quality of life; adolescence; mental health; psychopathology.
© 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.
Similar articles
-
[Impact of anxiety disorders on quality of life of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability].Encephale. 2016 Dec;42(6):499-505. doi: 10.1016/j.encep.2015.12.025. Epub 2016 Nov 11. Encephale. 2016. PMID: 27842975 French.
-
Self-reported quality of life of young children with conditions from early infancy: a systematic review.Pediatrics. 2014 Oct;134(4):e1129-48. doi: 10.1542/peds.2014-0352. Epub 2014 Sep 22. Pediatrics. 2014. PMID: 25246620 Review.
-
The clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness and acceptability of community-based interventions aimed at improving or maintaining quality of life in children of parents with serious mental illness: a systematic review.Health Technol Assess. 2014 Feb;18(8):1-250. doi: 10.3310/hta18080. Health Technol Assess. 2014. PMID: 24502767 Free PMC article. Review.
-
The quality of life of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a systematic review.Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010 Feb;19(2):83-105. doi: 10.1007/s00787-009-0046-3. Epub 2009 Jul 26. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2010. PMID: 19633992 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Health-related quality of life in children and adolescents who have a diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.Pediatrics. 2004 Nov;114(5):e541-7. doi: 10.1542/peds.2004-0844. Pediatrics. 2004. PMID: 15520087
Cited by
-
Comparing the Psychometric Performance of Generic Paediatric Health-Related Quality of Life Instruments in Children and Adolescents with ADHD, Anxiety and/or Depression.Pharmacoeconomics. 2024 Jun;42(Suppl 1):57-77. doi: 10.1007/s40273-024-01354-2. Epub 2024 Feb 8. Pharmacoeconomics. 2024. PMID: 38329689 Free PMC article.
-
Developing a cluster-based approach for deciphering complexity in individuals with neurodevelopmental differences.Front Pediatr. 2023 Sep 18;11:1171920. doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1171920. eCollection 2023. Front Pediatr. 2023. PMID: 37790694 Free PMC article.
-
Living with a rare disease - experiences and needs in pediatric patients and their parents.Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2023 Aug 11;18(1):242. doi: 10.1186/s13023-023-02837-9. Orphanet J Rare Dis. 2023. PMID: 37568186 Free PMC article.
-
A national harmonised data collection network for neurodevelopmental disorders: A transdiagnostic assessment protocol for neurodevelopment, mental health, functioning and well-being.JCPP Adv. 2021 Nov 26;1(4):e12048. doi: 10.1002/jcv2.12048. eCollection 2021 Dec. JCPP Adv. 2021. PMID: 37431407 Free PMC article.
-
Support in Daily Living for Young Adults with Neurodevelopmental Conditions in Sweden: A Qualitative Description of Current Practice.J Autism Dev Disord. 2023 May 23:1-16. doi: 10.1007/s10803-023-06014-6. Online ahead of print. J Autism Dev Disord. 2023. PMID: 37219792 Free PMC article.
Publication types
MeSH terms
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources
Other Literature Sources
Medical