The objective of this review was to examine disease-specific functioning (ie, faecal functioning and disease-related psychosocial problems) and quality of life (QoL)in patients with anorectal malformations (ARMs) or Hirschsprung's disease across different developmental stages. A search on PubMed yielded 22 eligible studies which were analysed. Patients with ARM or Hirschsprung's disease report slightly more QoL problems than comparison groups. As compared with adolescents, children reported better QoL but worse disease-specific functioning. Relationships between disease-specific functioning and QoL remain unclear. Therefore, to disentangle the complex relationship between the faecal functioning of these patients and their QoL through childhood, adolescence and adulthood, longitudinal studies should examine disease-specific functioning with validated QoL questionnaires that include age-specific versions.
1 October 2008 in Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
To test whether parenting stress and the quality of parent–child interaction were associated with glycemic control and quality of life (QoL) in young children (0–7 years) with type 1 diabetes (T1DM), we videotaped 77 families with a young child with T1DM during mealtime (including glucose monitoring and insulin administration). Parent–child interactions were scored with a specifically designed instrument. Questionnaires assessed general and disease-related parenting stress and (diabetes-specific (DS)) QoL. HbA1c (glycemic control) was extracted from the medical records. Both general and disease-related parenting stress were associated with a lower (DS)QoL (r ranged from −0.39 to −0.70, p < 0.05), but not with HbA1c levels. Furthermore, with regard to the parent–child interaction, emotional involvement of parents (r = 0.23, p < 0.05) and expressed discomfort of the child (r = 0.23, p < 0.05) were related to suboptimal HbA1c levels. There was no clear pattern in the correlations between parent–child interaction and (DS)QoL.
Objectives We aim to determine the prevalence and the course of anxiety and mood disorders in Dutch adolescents (12–18 years old) with type 1 diabetes, and to examine correlates of symptom severity, including parental emotional distress. Methods Participants were 171 adolescents and 149 parents. The Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children‐IV was used to assess current, past year and lifetime anxiety and mood disorders in adolescents. Symptom severity and diabetes distress were measured with validated questionnaires. Correlates of these symptoms were examined using hierarchical regression analyses and included demographics (adolescent sex and age), clinical factors (diabetes duration, treatment modality, most recent glycated hemoglobin A1c; all extracted from medical charts), adolescent diabetes distress, and parent emotional distress. Results Twenty‐four (14%) adolescents met the criteria for ≥1 disorder(s) in the previous 12 months. Anxiety disorders were more prevalent than mood disorders (13% vs. 4%). Lifetime prevalence of anxiety and mood disorders was 29% (n = 49). The presence of any of these disorders earlier in life (from 5 years old up to 12 months prior to assessment) was associated with disorders in the past 12 months (OR = 4.88, p = 0.001). Higher adolescent diabetes distress was related to higher symptoms of anxiety (b = 0.07, p = 0.001) and depression (b = 0.13, p = 0.001), while demographics, clinical characteristics, and parental emotional distress were not related. Conclusions Anxiety and mood disorders are common among adolescents and related to earlier disorders. Higher diabetes distress was related to higher symptom severity. Clinicians are advised to address past psychological problems and remain vigilant of these problems.