Quality of life in children with spinal cord injury

To compare reports of the child's quality of life (QOL) between children with spinal cord injury (SCI) and their parents using the Pediatric Quality of Life 4.0 Generic Scales (PedsQL), and assess agreement between parent and child responses. To examine the influence of level of injury on QOL and internal consistency reliability of the PedsQL in pediatric SCI.

Twenty-eight children (17 male children and 11 female children) between five and 13 years and their parents completed the PedsQL.

Children rated their QOL better than their parents; however, there was good to excellent parent-child agreement. No differences were noted between children with tetraplegia and paraplegia. Low internal consistency reliability was obtained for various domains.

In addition to using summary scores, specific ratings may raise important points for clinical decision-making. Results on internal consistency reliability suggest the need for condition-specific questionnaires for children with SCI.