[Validity and psychometric properties of a quality of life questionnaire in a Hungarian child and adolescent population].
BACKGROUND
The study of the quality of life in various strata of society is a very important task. No quality of life research has been done on the Hungarian child population until now. In the present study, we assessed the life quality in a sample of elementary school-aged children by asking both the parents and the children themselves.


METHODS
Data were collected from 2,620 children and their parents (mean age: 10.45 years, sd: 2.2 years) by administering the Invertar Lebensqualität Kindern und Jugendlichen (ILK) questionnaire. Reliability and validity data of the questionnaire were examined separately for the child, adolescent, and parent versions.


RESULTS
Internal consistency was adequate in all three versions, Cronbach alpha was above 0.6. Test-retest reliability (ICC) ranged between 0.67 and 0.75. Discriminant validity was measured in a non-depressed sample versus a population showing symptoms of clinical depression s. Based on the ILK questionnaire, the two samples were clearly different in their quality of life. Satisfaction with school and psychic well-being worsens with increasing age in the average paediatric population. Relations with family members pose problems in 13-15 year-olds, while peer relations cause difficulty to 6-9 year-olds. Most often parents underestimate the troubles of their children.


CONCLUSIONS
The ILK questionnaire is well suited for both comprehensive and detailed examinations of quality of life in Hungarian child populations. It shows adequate reliability and validity. Further research is needed to identify factors influencing the quality of life of Hungarian youngsters and to improve therapeutic options.
Kiss
Eniko
E
Szegedi Tudományegyetem, Gyermek- és Ifjúságpszichiátriai Onálló Osztály, Szeged, Hungary. kiss@gyip.szote.u-szeged.hu
Baji
Ildikó
I
Mayer
László
L
Skultéti
Dóra
D
Benák
István
I
Vetró
Agnes
A
D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003863:Depression; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents; D010379:Peer Group; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*