Health-related quality of life among families of children with severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

ABSTRACT:

Objectives

We aimed to profile the family impact, specifically parental health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and family functioning, of children discharged from a quaternary referral program with the most severe forms of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD).

Study design

We collected cross-sectional data through telephone interviews with 282 families of children aged 18 months to 11 years who had been discharged from a BPD referral program.

Results

Parental HRQoL and family functioning were not associated with the child's age, despite improvements in the children's health and respiratory morbidity with age. Many medical issues negatively impacted parental HRQOL and family functioning. The health outcome most strongly associated with decreased parental HRQoL and family functioning was an autism diagnosis, followed by use of feeding tube.

Conclusions

Among families of children discharged from a quaternary BPD program, family impact was not associated with child age and was impacted by a wide range of health outcomes in their children.

SUBMITTER: Farrell K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12909121 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature