The Miami Pediatric Quality of Life Questionnaire: Parent scale

Because there were limited measures available to assess health-related qual ity of life (HRQL) in children with chronic illnesses, this study was initi ated to develop an empirically derived questionnaire for use in evaluating HRQL issues in children treated for cancer. Extensive interviews were condu cted with 30 families of children with cancer, 10 of preschool age, 10 of s chool age and 10 of adolescent age. Responses were videotaped and transcrib ed, then categorized to develop a pool of 56 items, which were administered to 132 children with cancer and to their parents. This report focuses on p arental responses to objective items and ratings of importance of each of t hese items. Three primary categories, Self-Competence, Emotional Stability and Social Competence, were identified, each of which had solid internal co nsistency, sensitivity and reliability across 1-month intervals, The measur e demonstrated the ability to discriminate between children with different types of cancer, offers an alternative to measures relying on expert judgme nt to assess HRQL and may lead to greater inclusion of psychological and so cial concerns as primary factors in determining HRQL in children participat ing in clinical trials. Int. J. Cancer Suppl. 12:11-17, 1999, (C) 1999 Wile y-Liss, Inc.