title: Health-related quality of life in teenagers with a parent with cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in teenagers exposed to parental cancer has shown divergent results as an outcome measure. In this study we wanted to: 1) compare the HRQoL of teenagers exposed to parental cancer (CASES) with normative European HRQoL data (NORMs) measured close to parental diagnosis and treatment; 2) study changes in the HRQoL of CASES from baseline to follow-up; 3) explore sex differences in the HRQoL of CASES; and 4) explore eventual confounders of HRQoL of CASES at baseline.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five families with one parent diagnosed with primary invasive cancer were included, these families had 69 teenagers. At the follow-up, 26 families with 29 teenagers complied. Both parents and teenagers filled in electronic questionnaires over the Internet. HRQoL in teenagers was self-rated by the KIDSCREEN-27 at baseline and follow-up, and the responses were compared to a European normative sample (NORMs).
  
  
  RESULTS
  1) The teenagers scored significantly lower on the Physical well-being dimension compared to the NORMs at baseline, while no significant differences were observed concerning the four other HRQoL dimensions. 2) Some significant improvements were observed on HRQoL dimensions from baseline to follow-up. 3) CASES girls showed a trend towards lower HRQoL scores compared to boys. 4) Parental cancer-related characteristics and family function were not related to teenagers' HRQoL, but so were teenagers' self-esteem.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At group level, living with a parent who receives curative treatment for a recently diagnosed cancer affects teenagers' HRQoL to certain extent. Self-esteem is a confounder to teenagers' HRQoL in our sample.
authors.affiliation: National Advisory Unit on Late Effects after Cancer Treatment, Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Radiumhospitalet, Norway; Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway. Electronic address: elijep@ous-hf.no.
authors.forename: Elisabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jeppesen
authors.affiliation: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway; Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
authors.forename: Ingvar
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bjelland
authors.affiliation: National Advisory Unit on Late Effects after Cancer Treatment, Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Radiumhospitalet, Norway; Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Sophie D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Fosså
authors.affiliation: National Advisory Unit on Late Effects after Cancer Treatment, Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Radiumhospitalet, Norway; Department of Behavioural Sciences in Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Jon H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Loge
authors.affiliation: National Advisory Unit on Late Effects after Cancer Treatment, Department of Oncology, Oslo University Hospital, Radiumhospitalet, Norway; Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Alv A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Dahl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D009664:Norway; D010290:Parents; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: HRQoL; KIDSCREEN; Parental cancer; Teenagers