title: Adolescent-evaluated quality of life: a longitudinal study.
abstract: Opportunities for adolescents with cancer to interact with each other are few. This project provided a weekend retreat for adolescents with cancer and obtained longitudinal self-evaluated quality of life data. Data were collected using the Adolescent Quality of Life instrument, which is a 16-item Likert-scaled survey that assesses quality of life. Twenty-two adolescents attended the weekend, and 17 participated in the study. Evaluations of the weekend retreat were positive, with "making friends" and "meeting others like me" the most frequent comments. Data from the Adolescent Quality of Life instrument revealed that for this population, quality of life was unchanged directly after the weekend and was statistically worse 1 month later. Enrollment methods skewed study participation toward individuals receiving treatment, which may explain these results. The reliability of the Adolescent Quality of Life instrument remained stable over time, and it appears to accurately assess and reflect changes in quality of life.
authors.affiliation: University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Nursing, Kansas City, Missouri 64108, USA. wardsmithp@umkc.edu
authors.forename: Peggy
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ward-Smith
authors.forename: Becki
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McCaskie
authors.forename: Shannon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rhoton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D005260:Female; D006294:Health Resorts; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D014481:United States