The Proxy Problem: Child Report versus Parent Report in Health-Related Quality of Life Research

• Published in: Quality of life research Vol. 7; no. 5; pp. 387 - 397
• Main Authors: N. C. M. Theunissen, T. G. C. Vogels, H. M. Koopman, G. H. W. Verrips, K. A. H. Zwinderman, S. P. Verloove-Vanhorick, Wit, J. M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Rapid Communications of Oxford Ltd 01-07-1998; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Child; Children; Children & youth; Correlations; Emotion; Emotions; Evaluation Studies as Topic; Female; Health status; Health Status Indicators; Humans; Linear Models; Male; Motor ability; Parent-Child Relations; Parents; Proxy reporting; Proxy statements; Quality of Life; Quality of Life in Children; Questionnaires; Sick Role; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires
• DOI: 10.1023/a:1008801802877
• EISSN: 1573-2649
• ISSN: 0962-9343

This study evaluates the agreement between child and parent reports on children's health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in a representative sample of 1,105 Dutch children (age 8-11 years old). Both children and their parents completed a 56 item questionnaire (TACQOL). The questionnaire contains seven eight-item scales: physical complaints, motor functioning, autonomy, cognitive functioning, social functioning, positive emotions and negative emotions. The Pearson correlations between the child and parent reports were between 0.44 and 0.61 (p < 0.001). The intraclass correlations were between 0.39 and 0.62. On average, the children reported a significantly lower HRQoL than their parents on the physical complaints, motor functioning, autonomy, cognitive functioning and positive emotions scales (paired t-test: p < 0.05). Agreement on all of the scales was related to the magnitude of the HRQoL scores and to some background variables (gender, age, temporary illness and visiting a physician). According to multitrait-multimethod analyses, both the child and parent reports proved to be valid.