Razafimahefa-Raoelina T, Farinetti A, Nicollas R, Triglia J-M, Roman S, Anderson L
Service ORL et chirurgie cervico-faciale pédiatrique, hôpital de la Timone Enfants, assistance publique-hôpitaux de Marseille, Aix-Marseille université, 264, rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille cedex 5, France.
Service ORL et chirurgie cervico-faciale pédiatrique, hôpital de la Timone Enfants, assistance publique-hôpitaux de Marseille, Aix-Marseille université, 264, rue Saint-Pierre, 13385 Marseille cedex 5, France.
Eur Ann Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Dis. 2016 Feb;133(1):31-5. doi: 10.1016/j.anorl.2015.10.002. Epub 2015 Oct 29.
The aim of this study was to assess quality of life in children fitted with cochlear implants, using combined self- and parental assessment.
Thirty-two children, aged 6 to 17 years, with prelingual hearing loss and receiving cochlear implants at a mean age of 22 months, were included along with their families. The KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire was implemented, in face-to-face interview, in its parents and children-adolescents versions, with 27 items covering physical well-being ("physical activities and health"), psychological well-being ("general mood and feelings about yourself"), autonomy & parents ("family and free time"), peers & social support ("friends") and school environment ("school and learning"). Parent and child responses were compared with a general population database, and pairwise.
Global scores were compared against the general population on Cohen d effect-size. For child self-assessment, the results were: physical well-being, 72.81 (d=0); psychological well-being, 78.13 (d=-0.4); autonomy & parents, 63.84 (d=-0.2); peers & social support, 61.72 (d=-0.4); and school environment 73.83 (d=0). For parent assessment, the respective results were 62.66 (d=-0.8), 74.89 (d=-0.3), 57.37 (d=-1.2), 51.56 (d=-0.8), and 68.95 (d=-0.4). Half of the children could not answer the questionnaire, mainly due to associated disability. Schooling and language performance were poorer in non-respondent than respondent children. Quality of life was comparable between implanted and non-implanted children: Cohen d, 0 to 0.4. Early cochlear implantation in children with pre-lingual hearting loss provides quality of life comparable to that of the general population.
