Health-related quality of life of children and adolescents with mental disorders

BACKGROUND: The aim was to assess the association of internalising and externalising pathology with the child's health-related quality of life (QoL), and to determine which child and environmental characteristics beyond pathology were related to poor QoL.

METHODS: Data was obtained for 120 children and adolescents (aged 6 to 18) commencing outpatient psychotherapy treatment. Parents and children (aged 11 years and older) filled out questionnaires. QoL was measured with the KIDSCREEN-27.

RESULTS: QoL was more strongly associated with internalising than externalising pathology according to both self- and parent report. Multiple regression analyses showed that beyond internalising and externalising pathology, gender, age, family functioning, functional impairment, and prior mental health treatment were associated with individual QoL scales.

CONCLUSIONS: The data underscored the relationship between mental pathology and impaired QoL even if potential item overlap was controlled for. This stresses the importance of extending therapy goals and outcome measures from mere pathology to measures of QoL in psychotherapy research particularly for patients with internalising pathology.