Department of Clinical Neurosciences, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Alhasa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Alhasa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
Medicina (Kaunas). 2024 Oct 7;60(10):1638. doi: 10.3390/medicina60101638.
: Children with disabilities face unique challenges that can affect their well-being and quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to assess the QOL and coping strategies adopted by children with disabilities and explore how socio-demographic factors influence QOL and coping strategies. : This cross-sectional study, which was conducted in Saudi Arabia with children aged 6 to 18 years, used a stratified random sample to ensure representation from a variety of demographic groups. Short Form-12 (SF-12) was used to assess the QOL in the sample population. The Brief COPE Inventory was used to examine coping strategies among the children. One-way analysis of variance was applied to examine differences in the QOL, coping strategies scores, and demographic variables. Multiple regression analyses were performed to examine the role of demographic variables in predicting QOL and value was considered statistical significance at < 0.05. : The results of the study clearly revealed significant differences between the mean scores of QOL for gender, age, and type of disability, duration of disability, education qualification, family status, family occupation, and housing status. Female participants showed better QOL in physical functioning than their male counterparts. Children with intellectual disability reported better QOL in general health, vitality, social functioning, and mental health. Participants with seven to eight years of disability reported higher scores in physical functioning, vitality, and mental health. Children whose parents were working in private agencies and living in rented houses scored higher on the general health aspects of quality of life. The findings also revealed that the duration of the disability was a significant predictor of the QOL. The mean scores of different dimensions of coping strategies clearly revealed that male participants used dysfunctional coping ( < 0.01), as compared to problem-focused and emotional-focused coping while female children relied more on emotional-focused coping. Emotion-focused coping was significantly higher in participants with visual ( < 0.01), learning ( < 0.01), and intellectual disabilities ( < 0.01). Dysfunctional coping scores were higher among children with auditory disabilities ( < 0.01) and multiple disabilities ( < 0.01). : This study highlights the significance of demographic factors in understanding and improving the well-being of a diverse population of disabled juveniles. It offers valuable insights into the subtle factors affecting quality of life. Future interventions and policies can leverage these findings to enhance the quality of life of individuals with disabilities and to foster a more supportive and inclusive approach.
: 残疾儿童面临着独特的挑战，这些挑战会影响他们的幸福感和生活质量（QOL）。本研究旨在评估残疾儿童的生活质量和所采用的应对策略，并探讨社会人口因素如何影响生活质量和应对策略。: 本横断面研究在沙特阿拉伯进行，对象为 6 至 18 岁的儿童，采用分层随机抽样确保来自各种人口群体的代表性。使用简短的 12 项健康调查（SF-12）评估样本人群的生活质量。使用应对策略量表（Brief COPE Inventory）来检查儿童的应对策略。应用单因素方差分析（One-way analysis of variance）来检验生活质量、应对策略得分和人口统计学变量之间的差异。进行多元回归分析以检验人口统计学变量在预测生活质量方面的作用， 值<0.05 被认为具有统计学意义。: 研究结果清楚地表明，性别、年龄和残疾类型、残疾持续时间、教育程度、家庭状况、家庭职业和住房状况等人口统计学变量在生活质量的平均分之间存在显著差异。女性参与者在身体功能方面的生活质量优于男性。智力残疾儿童在一般健康、活力、社会功能和心理健康方面报告的生活质量更好。残疾 7 至 8 年的参与者在身体功能、活力和心理健康方面的得分较高。父母在私营机构工作和租用房屋的儿童在生活质量的一般健康方面得分较高。研究结果还表明，残疾持续时间是生活质量的重要预测因素。不同应对策略维度的平均分清楚地表明，与问题聚焦和情绪聚焦应对相比，男性参与者更多地使用功能失调的应对（ < 0.01），而女性儿童更多地依赖情绪聚焦应对。在视力（ < 0.01）、学习（ < 0.01）和智力残疾（ < 0.01）的参与者中，情绪聚焦应对明显更高。在听觉残疾（ < 0.01）和多重残疾（ < 0.01）的儿童中，功能失调的应对得分更高。: 本研究强调了人口统计学因素在理解和改善残疾青少年多样化人群的幸福感方面的重要性。它提供了有关影响生活质量的微妙因素的宝贵见解。未来的干预措施和政策可以利用这些发现来提高残疾个体的生活质量，并促进更具支持性和包容性的方法。
