Faculty Collaboration Database

Predicting parent health-related quality of life: evaluating conceptual models. Qual Life Res 2017 Jun;26(6):1405-1415

Date

02/24/2017

Pubmed ID

28229329

DOI

10.1007/s11136-016-1491-3

Scopus ID

2-s2.0-85013788092 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site)   16 Citations

Abstract

PURPOSE: Parents of children with chronic illnesses are at risk for poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL), with numerous identified risk factors, but the most informative statistical model considering their combined impact is unclear. The authors conceptualized risk for poor HRQoL using a summed model, comprehensive multivariate model, and latent profile analysis (LPA).

METHODS: Community parents completed an online survey, providing information about demographics, child's chronic illness, family functioning, and parent and child HRQoL. Parents reported that their children had a variety of chronic conditions (e.g., asthma, headaches, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, neurofibromatosis).

RESULTS: The summed model did not account for a significant proportion of variance in parent HRQoL. The comprehensive multivariate model (R ²  = 0.614) and LPA (R ²  = 0.305) both significantly predicted parent HRQoL. The LPA identified two risk profiles for lower HRQoL: parents who reported milder illnesses, but poorer family functioning; and parents who reported greater disease severity, but better family functioning.

CONCLUSIONS: Comprehensive multivariate models or LPAs best conceptualize patterns of risk for poor parental HRQoL in the community; though the findings in the current community sample may not extend to parents recruited from specialty clinics whose children may have more severe chronic illnesses. Parents of children with mild chronic conditions are still at risk for poor HRQoL, warranting attention from health care providers.

Author List

Defenderfer EK, Rybak TM, Davies WH, Berlin KS

Author

W. Hobart Davies Professor & Chair in the Phychology department at University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee

MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold

Adolescent
Adult
Asthma
Child
Chronic Disease
Family Relations
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Male
Models, Statistical
Multivariate Analysis
Parent-Child Relations
Parents
Quality of Life
Risk Factors