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BACKGROUND : Assessing health -related quality of life (HRQoL ) is a useful way to quantify benefits that cochlear implants (CI ) provide children with hearing loss . Since children often are too young or lack communication skills to convey their HRQoL , parents serve as a reliable proxy . This study examines parent report of HRQoL (categorized in eight domains ) and demographic variables in children with CI . Lastly , this study compares parent HRQoL ratings in the United States (US ) to parent ratings in the Netherlands , Finland and the United Kingdom (UK ) .
SUBJECTS : Parents of 33 children with CIs participated in the US component of this study . METHOD : An analysis of variance was used to measure differences among HRQoL domains . Correlations between HRQoL and demographic variables , and correlations among HRQoL domains were assessed using Spearman and point bi -serial correlations . Cross -cultural differences in HRQoL domain scores were computed using one sample t -tests . RESULTS : In this US sample , education and effects of CI domains were rated least positively . Cross -culturally , US parents rated HRQoL more positively than parents in the Netherlands , generally less positively than parents in Finland and aligned most closely with parents in the UK . DISCUSSION : Limited access to CI -related accommodations and varying parent expectations likely explain the differences in low ratings of education and effects of implantation in the US , as well as the differences seen cross -culturally . Providing useful CI accommodations at school and preparing parents for realistic outcomes could greatly benefit children with CI and their families .
[Keywords : Health -related quality of life , pediatric cochlear implants , parent proxy , cross -cultural .] |
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