Comparison of adolescent and parental perception of health-related quality of life of adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis

Abstract

Purpose: Evaluation of the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of individuals with idiopathic scoliosis (IS) is important because of the physical and psychosocial problems caused by IS. In general, children interact closely with their parents and are thus influenced by their parents’ opinions. It is thus useful to examine adolescent and parental perceptions of the adolescent’s HRQoL for the rehabilitation of individuals with IS. Methods: This study compared the adolescents’ and their parents’ perceptions of the adolescent’s HRQoL including 65 individuals with IS (10–18 years). It was used the pediatric quality of life inventory (PedsQL) to assess the adolescents’ HRQoL and to examine the domains of physical health, emotional functioning, social functioning, school functioning, and psychosocial health. Results: The results showed that the scores of the adolescents were higher than their parents’ in social functioning. Scores of social functioning and HRQoL were higher in girls than in their parents. Conclusion: This discrepancy between the adolescents and their parents may have a negative effect on their rehabilitation, healthy social integration, and adaptation of individuals with IS. Shedding light on the reasons for this discrepancy would be beneficial for raising the awareness of parents with children with IS about this issue.