Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Health-related quality of life in children assessed by their parents: Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the CHQ-PF50 in two German clinical samples

  • Published:
Quality of Life Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the German translation of the Child Health Questionnaire (CHQ). Parents of two clinical samples were asked to rate the quality of life of their children using the German version of the CHQ. Item internal consistency (item-scale correlation) and internal consistency of scales were tested; quartiles and factor analysis were conducted. The results of the German clinical samples were compared with US clinical samples (t-test). The two clinical German subgroups were compared using multivariate analysis (MANOVA). The psychometric testing of the CHQ showed good results. Internal consistency of the hypothesized scales were all higher than 0.70. The results of the factor analysis confirmed the results of the US norm sample: As expected, the subscales loaded on two factors explaining 57.4% of the total variance. The group comparison supported the discriminative properties of the CHQ. Preliminary psychometric findings support use of the German version of the CHQ. The next step will be the testing of healthy German samples and development of norm scores.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Spieth LE, Harris CV. Assessment of health-related quality of life in children and adolescents: An integrative review. J Ped Psychol 1996; 21: 175–193.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Rosenbaum PL, Saigal S. Measuring health-related quality of life in pediatric populations: Conceptual issues. In: Spilker B (ed), Quality of Life and Pharmacoeconomics in Clinical Trials. 2nd ed., Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven, 1996: 785–791.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Lenney W, Wells NEJ, Neill BA. The burden of paediatric asthma. Europ Resp Rev 1994; 4: 49–62.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Nocon A. Social and emotional impact of childhood asthma. Arch Dis Child 1991; 66: 458–460.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Townsend M, Feeny DH, Gordon GH, Furlong WJ, Seip AE, Dolovich J. Evaluation of the burden of illness for pediatric asthmatic patients and their parents. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol 1991; 67: 403–408.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Landgraf JM, Abetz LN. Measuring health outcomes in pediatric populations: Issues in psychometrics and application. In: Spilker B (ed), Quality of Life and Pharmaco-economics in Clinical Trials, Philadelphia: Lippincott-Raven Publishers, 1996: 793–802.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Starfield B, Bergner M, Ensminger M, et al. Adolescent health status measurement: Development of the child health and illness profile. Pediatrics 1993; 91: 430–435.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Stein REK, Jessop DJ. Functional status II (R): A measure of child health status. Med Care 1990; 28: 1041–1055.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Landgraf JM, Abetz L, Ware JE Jr. Child Health Questionnaire. A User's Manual. Boston, MA: Health Institute, New England Medical Center, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Bullinger M, Anderson R, Cella D, Aaronson N. Developing and evaluating cross-cultural instruments from minimal requirements to optimal models. Qual Life Res 1993; 2: 451–459.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Landgraf JM, Maunsell E, Speechley KN, et al. Canadian-French, German and UK versions of the Child Health Questionnaire: Methodology and preliminary item scaling results. Qual Life Res 1998; 7: 433–445.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Warschburger P. Chronisch kranke Kinder und Jugendliche. Göttingen: Hogrefe, 2000.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Freidel K. Psychosoziale Belastungen bei idiopathischer Skoliose. Berlin: dissertation.de, 2000.

  14. Bradford DS, Lonstein JE, Moe JH, Ogilvie JW, Winter RB (eds), Textbook of Scoliosis and Other Spinal Deformities. 2nd ed., Philadelphia: Saunders, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  15. von Mutius E, Martinez FD, Fritzsch C, Nicolai T, Roell, G, Thiemann HH. Prevalence of asthma and atopy in two areas of West and East Germany. Am J Resp Crit Care Med 1994; 153: 1266–1272.

    Google Scholar 

  16. von der Hardt H, Hofmann D. Das Asthmasyndrom. In: Fennen A, von der Hardt H (eds), Pädiatrische Pneumologie, Berlin: Springer, 1985: 297–346.

    Google Scholar 

  17. European Task Force on Atopic Dermatitis. Severity scoring of atopic dermatitis: The SCORAD-Index. Dermatol 1993; 186: 23–31.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Borg I, Staufenbiel T. Theorien und Methoden der Skalierung. Bern: Huber, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Lienert GA, Raatz U. Testaufbau und Testanalyse. 5th ed., Weinheim: Psychologie Verlags Union, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Nunnally JC, Bernstein IR. Psychometric Theory. 3rd ed., New York: McGraw-Hill, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Kaiser HF, Rice J. Little Jiffy, Mark IV. Educ Psychol Meas 1974; 34: 111–117.

    Google Scholar 

  22. Lavigne JV, Faier-Routman J. Psychological adjustment to pediatric physical disorders: A meta-analytic review. J Ped Psychol 1992; 17: 133–157.

    Google Scholar 

  23. Lavigne JV, Faier-Routman J. Correlates of psychological adjustment to pediatric physical disorders: A meta-analytic review and comparison with existing models. J Dev Behav Pediatr 1993; 14: 117–123.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Waters E, Salmon L, Wake, M. The parent-form Child Health Questionnaire in Australia: Comparisons of reliability, validity, structure and norms. J Ped Psychol 2000; 25: 381–391.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Asmussen L, Olson LM, Grant EN, Landgraf JM, Fagan J, Weiss KB. Use of the Child Health Questionnaire in a sample of moderate and low-income inner-city children with asthma. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 2000; 162: 1215–1221.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Goldberg CJ, Fogarty EE, Moore DP, Dowling FE. Scoliosis and development theory. Spine 1997; 22: 2228–2238.

    Google Scholar 

  27. Payne WK, Ogilvie JW, Resnick MD, Kane RL, Transfeldt EE, Blum RW. Does scoliosis have a psychological impact and does gender make a difference? Spine 1997; 22: 1380–1384.

    Google Scholar 

  28. Raat H, Bonsel GJ, Essink-Bot M-L, Landgraf JM, Gemke RJBJ. Reliability and validity of comprehensive health status measures in children. The Child Health Questionnaire in relation to the Health Utilities Index. J Clin Epidemiol 2002; 55: 67–76.

    Google Scholar 

  29. Bullinger M, Ravens-Sieberer U. Stand der Forschung zur gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität von Kindern. In: Petermann F (ed), Lebensqualität und chronische Krankheit, München: Dustri, 1996; 29-71.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation at the, University of Bremen, Germany

    Petra Warschburger, Franz Petermann & Klaus Freidel

  2. HealthAct, Boston, USA

    Jeanne M. Landgraf

Authors
  1. Petra Warschburger
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jeanne M. Landgraf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Franz Petermann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Klaus Freidel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Warschburger, P., Landgraf, J.M., Petermann, F. et al. Health-related quality of life in children assessed by their parents: Evaluation of the psychometric properties of the CHQ-PF50 in two German clinical samples. Qual Life Res 12, 291–301 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023233308653

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023233308653

Search

Navigation