ABSTRACT

Objective : This study aims at determining how parent-reported quality of life (QOL) is associated with the functional levels of school-aged children with spastic cerebral palsy.Methods : Our cross-sectional survey involved 29 subjects with spastic diplegia who ranged in age from 8 to 15 years. The functional levels of the subjects were classified into three groups: a stair-climbing group, independent-walking group, and limited-movement group. Each child’s QOL was assessed through parent reports using the Korean version of KIDSCREEN 52-HRQOL, and the data were analyzed separately for each of the 10 domains. Results : The total QOL scores were statistically significantly higher for the stair-climbing group compared to those of the limited-movement group (p＜.05). The assessment scores for ‘physical well-being,’ ‘psychological well-being,’ and ‘autonomy’ were significantly higher for the stair-climbing group than the limited-movement group (p＜.05). However, the differences between the other domains were not significant among the groups (p＞.05).Conclusion : The findings in this paper show a possible positive relationship between functional level and QOL. However, the association of QOL and physical function depends on the QOL domain. Therefore, future studies are required to assess the possible association between QOL and physical function in more depth.