Trui Vercruysse

New evidence on the reliability and validity of the pediatric oncology quality of life scale

Abstract The present paper replicates and extends previous studies on the psychometric properties of the Pediatric Oncology Quality of Life Scale (POQOLS). The research questions were focused on (a) internal consistency; (b) relation with demographics; and (c) ability to discriminate between patient groups. Data were gathered in a Dutch-speaking Belgian sample of 73 pediatric oncology patients, drawn from the population of a university hospital. The parents completed the POQOLS, a 21-item parent-report inventory for the assessment of physical restriction, emotional distress and discomfort from medical treatment in pediatric oncology patients. The results support the psychometric quality of the POQOLS. Three of the core aspects of quality of life are tapped using sufficiently short and internally consistent subscales. The instrument is free from relations with demographics and shows good discriminant ability to differentiate between patient groups according to time since diagnosis, treatment status and diagnosis.

Belgian siblings of children with a chronic illness: Is their quality of life different from their peers?

To assess Belgian siblings’ self-reported quality of life (QoL) and the impact of illness on four different paediatric illnesses. Healthy siblings (n = 131) of children with type 1 diabetes, cancer, congenital heart disease (CHD) and cystic fibrosis (CF) completed the Child Health Questionnaire and the Sibling Perception Questionnaire. Results were compared to those of a matched group of siblings of healthy children. Siblings reported a good QoL, similar to controls, with the exception that siblings reported better on the QoL domain pain (p < .01). QoL was not related to time since diagnosis but the impact of illness was higher nearer to the time of diagnosis (r = −.39, p < .001). QoL of siblings of children with CHD or cancer was lower than QoL in the CF or type 1 diabetes group whilst impact of illness was highest for the CHD group. QoL of siblings of a child with a chronic illness is similar to the QoL of peers. Studies investigating siblings’ QoL or the impact of illness on siblings should include the day-to-day demands of the illness as well as less obvious illness-related issues like ‘hidden stress’ and ‘sense of control’.

Intellectual development of childhood ALL patients: a multicenter longitudinal study

In childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), radiotherapy for CNS prophylaxis is not used in frontline therapy anymore. Standard treatment for ALL nowadays consists of polychemotherapy. Therefore, assessment of potential chemotherapy‐induced cognitive side effects becomes important. Although neurotoxicity was demonstrated in cross‐sectional studies, longitudinal studies remain scarce.