Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health of Parents of Children with Pediatric Abdominal Tumors

Zierke, Kira; Boettcher, Michael; Behrendt, Paulina; Najem, Safiullah; Zapf, Holger; Reinshagen, Konrad; Wößmann, Wilhelm; Boettcher, Johannes

doi:10.3390/children11080998

Open AccessArticle

Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health of Parents of Children with Pediatric Abdominal Tumors

by

Kira Zierke

^1,†,

Michael Boettcher

^1,2,†

,

Paulina Behrendt

¹,

Safiullah Najem

^1,3,

Holger Zapf

⁴,

Konrad Reinshagen

¹,

Wilhelm Wößmann

⁵ and

Johannes Boettcher

^4,*

¹

Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

²

Department of Pediatric Surgery, University Medical Center Mannheim, University Heidelberg, Theodor-Kutzner-Ufer 1-3, 68167 Mannheim, Germany

³

Department of Pediatric and Adolescent Surgery, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria

⁴

Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

⁵

Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Children 2024, 11(8), 998; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080998

Submission received: 28 July 2024 / Revised: 11 August 2024 / Accepted: 13 August 2024 / Published: 16 August 2024

(This article belongs to the Section Pediatric Mental Health)

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Abstract

Background: Abdominal tumors rarely occur in childhood but are associated with great psychological stress for patients and their families. Parents playing a central role in their children’s treatment may experience adverse effects on their Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and mental health due to the children’s illness and required treatment. Given the limited knowledge of the psychosocial burden of parents with children suffering from solid abdominal tumors, this study aims to assess their HRQoL and mental health along with the impact of various psychosocial factors. Methods: A cross-sectional cohort study was carried out involving 54 parents of children with solid abdominal tumors who had surgery at the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf in Germany. The results were compared with 46 parents of children undergoing routine surgeries without a prior tumor diagnosis, and with normative values. Data were obtained using standardized questionnaires. Results: Parents of the index group showed significantly worse HRQoL and limited mental health. Furthermore, they showed significantly higher parental burden in several subscales and less social support in comparison with the control group. Conclusions: Considering the lower parental HRQoL and the central role parents play in their children’s lives, it is crucial to include prevention and intervention measures for parents as part of a multimodal treatment regime for children with solid pediatric abdominal tumors.

Keywords: health-related quality of life; mental health; rare diseases; pediatric surgery; parents; pediatric abdominal tumors

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zierke, K.; Boettcher, M.; Behrendt, P.; Najem, S.; Zapf, H.; Reinshagen, K.; Wößmann, W.; Boettcher, J. Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health of Parents of Children with Pediatric Abdominal Tumors. Children 2024, 11, 998. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080998

AMA Style

Zierke K, Boettcher M, Behrendt P, Najem S, Zapf H, Reinshagen K, Wößmann W, Boettcher J. Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health of Parents of Children with Pediatric Abdominal Tumors. Children. 2024; 11(8):998. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080998

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zierke, Kira, Michael Boettcher, Paulina Behrendt, Safiullah Najem, Holger Zapf, Konrad Reinshagen, Wilhelm Wößmann, and Johannes Boettcher. 2024. "Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health of Parents of Children with Pediatric Abdominal Tumors" Children 11, no. 8: 998. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080998

APA Style

Zierke, K., Boettcher, M., Behrendt, P., Najem, S., Zapf, H., Reinshagen, K., Wößmann, W., & Boettcher, J. (2024). Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health of Parents of Children with Pediatric Abdominal Tumors. Children, 11(8), 998. https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080998

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Health-Related Quality of Life and Mental Health of Parents of Children with Pediatric Abdominal Tumors

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