Parental perception of quality of life in children with bronchiectasis

Abstract

Introduction/Aim: Children with acute exacerbations of bronchiectasis are known to have a poorer health-related quality of life (HR-QOL) compared to peers without respiratory disease. However, during the stable state, the child-specific and the corresponding parental-proxy HRQOL and the impact of bronchiectasis on the parents' psychological status are unclear. We aimed to determine the impact of bronchiectasis on (i) HR-QOL in clinically stable children compared to age-matched peers and (ii) the parent/caregivers' anxiety and depression. Methods: Children (aged 5 to 18 years) with bronchiectasis while in a stable clinical state were recruited from two Australian tertiary hospitals. The children and their parents completed the child-specific and parentproxy (respectively) versions of the Pediatric QOL inventory (PedsQL), a generic HR-QoL. Parents also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS) and the Centre for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CES-D). Age-matched control children (with no diagnosis of a respiratory condition) and their parents also completed these questionnaires. Results: 29 children with bronchiectasis (mean±SD FEV1 91.5±14.5% predicted, age 10±4 years, their parents and 43 agematched controls and their parents were enrolled. Children with bronchiectasis and their parent had significantly lower PedsQL scores compared to their peers (mean difference [MD] of raw scores 18.1 points, 95%CI 9.5 to 26.7; 24.8 points, 95%CI 16.2 to 33.4 respectively). Compared to parents of controls, parents of children with bronchiectasis were more anxious (MD 3.5 points [95%CI 1.8 to 5.2]) and more depressed according to both the HADS and CES-D (both p<0.001). Conclusion: Children with bronchiectasis in the stable state have poorer HR-QOL. Their parents report higher levels of anxiety and depression. Attention to, and strategies to improving the HR-QoL and parental mental health are required in children with bronchiectasis.L6220913602018-05-16 <br />