Health-Related Quality of Life in adolescent survivors of burns: Agreement on self-reported and mothers' and fathers' perspectives

Abstract

Aim: This study examined the agreement on self-reported Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) between adolescents with burns and their mother's and father's observation at 6 and 18 months after the burn. Moreover, factors potentially influencing discrepancies between the adolescent and proxy reports were examined.

Methods: Children with burns (11-18 years old) and their mother and father were invited to participate. A total of 54 adolescents aged 11 years or older filled out the American Burn Association/Shriners Hospitals for Children Burn Outcomes Questionnaire (BOQ). Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed.

Results: The physical functioning scores showed to be optimal in almost all participants (99%) and across the three informants. Adolescents reported better functioning than their fathers and mothers on most of the scales. On average the correlations between self-reports and proxy reports were moderate to good. Higher parental traumatic stress scores were linked to less favorable parent-reported burn outcomes.

Conclusion: Overall, this study showed that a large proportion of the parents had similar views on the adolescents physical functioning, but disparities emerged also, mainly in psychosocial scales. The discrepancies between self- and parent reports should be discussed when they have a role in treatment decisions. Preferably, besides parent-reports, adolescents' self-reports should be included in clinical assessments and treatment decisions, as parental traumatic stress symptoms are a possible factor influencing parental observations.

Keywords: Adolescents; Burn Outcomes Questionnaire; Burns; Family; Health-Related Quality of Life; Parents; Post-traumatic stress.