Health-Related Quality of Life among Children with Language Impairment at the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital: a Cross-Sectional Descriptive Study
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Abstract
Objective: To explore the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of children with language impairment (LI), and to identify the factors that affect HRQoL in children with LI.
Methods: This study was a cross-sectional descriptive study. The participants were 100 children with LI including specific language impairment (SLI), global developmental delay (GDD), autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), down syndrome (DS), and intellectual disability (ID), aged 2-7 years attending the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine Vajira Hospital between November 2019 and October 2020. The HRQoL was assessed by the PedsQLTM 4.0– Thai version, parent proxy-report. Data were analyzed using the descriptive and inferential statistics.
Results: Most of the children with LI were male (59%) with mean age of 3.96 ± 1.72 years old. Most of them were diagnosed with SLI, GDD, and ASD, accounting for 65%, 24%, and 24% respectively. The HRQoL of the children with LI were at high levels, accounting for 54% (67.87±14.53). The highest HRQoL score was in social functioning (69.25±18.94). The lowest score was in school functioning (58.90±22.44). Factor associated with HRQoL of the children with LI was behavior problems.
Conclusion: Language impairment affects children’s HRQoL, especially in school functioning. Measuring HRQoL could serve as one of the methods used to provide the most appropriate and holistic care for children with LI.
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References
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