A comparison of parent-reported and self-reported psychosocial function scores of the PedsQL for children with non-severe burn

Amira Allahham; Matthew N Cooper; Enrique Mergelsberg; Mark W Fear; Lisa J Martin; Fiona M Wood

doi:10.1016/j.burns.2022.09.001

A comparison of parent-reported and self-reported psychosocial function scores of the PedsQL for children with non-severe burn

Burns. 2023 Aug;49(5):1122-1133. doi: 10.1016/j.burns.2022.09.001. Epub 2022 Sep 7.

Authors

Amira Allahham¹, Matthew N Cooper², Enrique Mergelsberg², Mark W Fear³, Lisa J Martin⁴, Fiona M Wood⁵

Affiliations

¹ University of Western Australia, Burn Injury Research Unit, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
² Telethon Kids Institute, University of Western Australia, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
³ University of Western Australia, Burn Injury Research Unit, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Fiona Wood Foundation, 11 Robin Warren Dr, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia.
⁴ University of Western Australia, Burn Injury Research Unit, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Fiona Wood Foundation, 11 Robin Warren Dr, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia. Electronic address: Lisa.martin3@health.wa.gov.au.
⁵ University of Western Australia, Burn Injury Research Unit, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia; Fiona Wood Foundation, 11 Robin Warren Dr, Murdoch, WA 6150, Australia; Burn Service of Western Australia, Fiona Stanley Hospital, MNH (B) Main Hospital, Level 4, Burns Unit, 102-118 Murdoch Drive, Murdoch, Western Australia 6150, Australia; Burns Unit, Perth Children's Hospital, 15 Hospital Ave, Nedlands, WA 6009 Australia. Electronic address: Fiona.wood@health.wa.gov.au.

PMID: 36195493
DOI: 10.1016/j.burns.2022.09.001

Abstract

Background: Quality of life of paediatric patients after burn injury is often assessed through parents who may score differently to their child. Non-severe burns are the most common type of burn injury in Western Australia, however, despite low severity and high survival rates, they can cause long term physical and psychosocial problems which need to be detected early in order to provide patients with optimal holistic care.

Methods: Demographic and clinical data were collected from paediatric patients (5-16-year-old) with non-severe burns (<20% total body surface area), and Paediatric quality of life (PedsQL) questionnaires were collected from both the patient and their parent. Two cohorts of patients were assessed: first, those at approximately six months after burn, and second, those more than one-year after burn. Differences between parent-scores and self-scores were analysed using multivariate linear regression to assess the relationship between risk factors and observed differences in PedsQL scores.

Results: Parents reported poorer Psychosocial Function (PSF) for younger children (p = 0.01) and for patients from higher socioeconomic status areas (p = 0.05) compared to their children. In the 'Early Recovery Cohort', female patients had significantly different scores to their parents (p < 0.01). In the 'Late Recovery Cohort', parents rated older patients lower than they rated themselves (p = 0.03).

Conclusion: Age at burn, socioeconomic status, and female gender may increase the discrepancy in quality-of-life assessments between parents and patients.

Keywords: Burn injuries; Paediatrics; PedsQL; Quality of life.

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Burns* / psychology
Child
Child, Preschool
Female
Humans
Parents / psychology
Quality of Life* / psychology
Self Report
Surveys and Questionnaires