Department Psychology, Counseling Psychology, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 24-25, 14476, Potsdam, Germany.
Qual Life Res. 2018 Oct;27(10):2557-2570. doi: 10.1007/s11136-018-1916-2. Epub 2018 Jun 14.
Dealing with a child who suffers from functional abdominal pain (FAP) is a major challenge for the child's parents. However, little is known about the quality of life (QoL) of this group of parents. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to provide a comprehensive analysis of parental QoL among parents seeking treatment for their child's abdominal pain.
133 parents of 7-13-year-old children diagnosed with FAP reported on their health-related QoL (HRQoL), as assessed by the SF-12, and on caregiver-related QoL, as assessed by two CHQ-PF50 scales (emotional impact, time impact). T tests were used to compare the parents' scores on these measures with reference scores. Subgroups which were at risk of impairment were defined by cut-off scores. Determinants of parental QoL were identified by hierarchical regression analyses.
While the parents showed significantly poorer mental health compared to population-based reference samples (d = 0.33-0.58), their physical health did not differ. However, parents were severely strained with respect to the time impact and emotional impact of their child's health (d = 0.33-1.58). While 12.7-27.9% of the parents were at risk of poor HRQoL, 60.6-70.1% were highly strained due to the demands of their role as caregivers. Physical and mental health were best explained by parents' psychiatric symptoms, while parents' perception of their child's impairment additionally determined the high time and emotional impact.
Physical HRQoL is not impaired in the majority of parents seeking treatment for their child's functional abdominal pain. However, the time demands and worries due to the child's pain deserve specific attention. Psychosocial interventions for a child's FAP should include information provided to the parents about coping with time constraints and emotional impact. Further prospective studies are warranted.
处理患有功能性腹痛（FAP）的儿童对其父母来说是一项重大挑战。然而，人们对这组父母的生活质量（QoL）知之甚少。因此，本横断面研究旨在全面分析寻求治疗其子女腹痛的父母的父母 QoL。
133 名 7-13 岁患有 FAP 的儿童的父母报告了他们的健康相关生活质量（HRQoL），使用 SF-12 进行评估，以及两个 CHQ-PF50 量表（情绪影响，时间影响）评估的照顾者相关生活质量。使用 t 检验比较这些措施的父母分数与参考分数。通过截止分数定义有受损风险的亚组。通过分层回归分析确定父母 QoL 的决定因素。
虽然父母的心理健康明显比基于人群的参考样本差（d=0.33-0.58），但他们的身体健康没有差异。然而，父母在孩子健康的时间影响和情绪影响方面承受着巨大的压力（d=0.33-1.58）。虽然 12.7-27.9%的父母有较差的 HRQoL 风险，但 60.6-70.1%的父母由于作为照顾者的角色要求而承受着巨大的压力。身体和心理健康主要由父母的精神症状解释，而父母对孩子的障碍的感知则另外决定了高时间和情绪影响。
在寻求治疗其子女功能性腹痛的大多数父母中，身体 HRQoL 并未受损。然而，由于孩子的疼痛而产生的时间需求和担忧值得特别关注。儿童 FAP 的心理社会干预应包括向父母提供有关应对时间限制和情绪影响的信息。还需要进一步的前瞻性研究。
