Quality of life from research and clinical perspectives: an example from paediatric psycho-oncology.
In clinical oncology and research, health-related quality of life (HRQL) of patients has increasingly gained attention. Although there is agreement that HRQL is a multidimensional construct incorporating primarily the patient's evaluation of his/her life, the construct lacks a uniform model of conceptualization. This article briefly outlines definitions and methods of assessing quality of life in children and adolescents. The case report of a 10-year-old boy who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation views HRQL from various perspectives. Self- and proxy assessments are compared, and the expertise of psychotherapeutic work is combined with data gathered by standardized questionnaires.
Di Gallo
Alain
A
University Psychiatric Clinics, Basel, Switzerland. alain.digallo@unibas.ch
Felder-Puig
Rosemarie
R
Topf
Reinhard J
RJ
D000293:Adolescent; D001293:Attitude to Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D004213:Dissociative Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006086:Graft vs Host Disease / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D054198:Precursor Cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia-Lymphoma / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D011613:Psychotherapy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012803:Sick Role; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires