Concordance of Child and Parent Reports of Health-Related Quality of Life in Children With Mild Traumatic Brain or Non-Brain Injuries and in Uninjured Children: Longitudinal Evaluation

IntroductionThis study aimed to determine (a) concordance between parents' and children's perceptions of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for children who sustained a mild traumatic brain injury or a mild non–brain injury or who were uninjured at baseline and at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months postinjury; (b) test-retest reliability of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory Generic Core and Cognitive Functioning Scales in the uninjured group; and (c) which, if any, variables predicted parity in child/parent dyad responses.MethodsThis longitudinal study included 103 child/parent dyads in three groups. Each child and parent completed Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory questionnaires within 24 hours of injury and at months 1, 3, 6, and 12 postinjury.ResultsChild/parent HRQoL concordance was generally poor. The variables for age, gender, and study group were not found to be response-parity predictors.DiscussionInclusion of child and parent perceptions provides a more comprehensive picture of the child's HRQoL, increasing provider awareness of related health care needs.