Coping is excellent in Swiss Children with inflammatory bowel disease: results from the Swiss IBD cohort study.
BACKGROUND
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) starting during childhood has been assumed to impair quality of life (QoL) of affected children. As this aspect is crucial for further personality development, the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) was assessed in a Swiss nationwide cohort to obtain detailed information on the fields of impairment.


METHODS
Data were prospectively acquired from pediatric patients included in the Swiss IBD Cohort Study. IBD activity was evaluated by PCDAI and PUCAI. The age adapted KIDSCREEN questionnaire was evaluated for 110 children with IBD (64 with Crohn's disease 46 with ulcerative colitis). Data were analyzed with respect to established reference values of healthy controls.


RESULTS
In the KIDSCREEN index a moderate impairment was only found for physical wellbeing due to disease activity. In contrast, mental well-being and social support were even better as compared to control values. A subgroup analysis revealed that this observation was restricted to the children in the German speaking part of Switzerland, whereas there was no difference compared to controls in the French part of Switzerland. Furthermore, autonomy and school variables were significantly higher in the IBD patients as compared to controls.


CONCLUSIONS
The social support for children with IBD is excellent in this cohort. Only physical well-being was impaired due to disease activity, whereas all other KIDSCREEN parameters were better as compared to controls. This indicates that effective coping and support strategies may be able to compensate the burden of disease in pediatric IBD patients.
Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Daniela
D
Rogler
Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Nicolas
N
Fournier
Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Valérie
V
Pittet
Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
Patrick
P
Bühr
Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
Klaas
K
Heyland
Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
Michael
M
Friedt
Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
Rebekka
R
Koller
Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland.
Vanessa
V
Rueger
Division of Paediatric Gastroenterology, Cantons Hospital Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
Denise
D
Herzog
Division of Gastroenterology, University Children's Hospital of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.
Andreas
A
Nydegger
Division of Gastroenterology, University Children's Hospital Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Michela
M
Schäppi
Division of Gastroenterology, University Children's Hospital Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Susanne
S
Schibli
Division of Gastroenterology, Children's Hospital Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland.
Johannes
J
Spalinger
Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
Gerhard
G
Rogler
Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition, University Children's Hospital, Zurich, Switzerland; Children's Research Centre, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland. Electronic address: christian.braegger@kispi.uzh.ch.
Christian P
CP
Braegger
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000523:psychology; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013557:Switzerland
Coping; Mental well-being; Pediatric inflammatory bowel disease; Physical well-being; Social support