Impact of divorce on the quality of life in school-age children

Abstract

Objective: To assess psychosocial quality of life in school-age children of divorced parents. Methods:A cross-sectional survey was conducted at the pediatric outpatient clinic of a community hospital. Children 5 to 12 years old from married families and divorced families were included. Child quality of life was assessed through maternal reports using a Child Health Questionnaire -Parent Form 50. A multiple linear regression model was constructed including clinically relevant variables significant on univariate analysis (beta coefficient and 95%CI).Results: Three hundred and thirty families were invited to participate and 313 completed the questionnaire. Univariate analysis showed that quality of life was significantly associated with parental separation, child sex, time spent with the father, standard of living, and maternal education. In a multiple linear regression model, quality of life scores decreased in boys -4.5 (-6.8 to -2.3) and increased for time spent with the father 0.09 (0.01 to 0.2). In divorced families, multiple linear regression showed that quality of life scores increased when parents had separated by mutual agreement 6.1 (2.7 to 9.4), when the mother had university level education 5.9 (1.7 to 10.1) and for each year elapsed since separation 0.6 (0.2 to 1.1), whereas scores decreased in boys -5.4 (-9.5 to -1.3) and for each one-year increment of maternal age -0.4 (-0.7 to -0.05). Conclusion:Children's psychosocial quality of life was affected by divorce. The Child Health Questionnaire can be useful to detect a decline in the psychosocial quality of life.J Pediatr (Rio J). 2009;85(6):547-552: Argentina, child, health status, health-related quality of life, family relations, Child Health Questionnaire. ResumoObjetivo: Avaliar a qualidade de vida psicossocial em filhos de pais separados em idade escolar.Métodos: Conduziu-se um estudo transversal no ambulatório pediátrico de um hospital comunitário. Foram incluídas crianças de 5 a 12 anos de idade, de famílias intactas e de famílias separadas. A qualidade de vida das crianças foi avaliada através de relatórios maternos, utilizando-se o Child Health Questionnaire -Parent Form 50. Um modelo de regressão linear múltipla foi construído incluindo variáveis clinicamente relevantes significativas para a análise univariada (coeficiente beta e IC de 95%).Resultados: Trezentas e trinta famílias foram convidadas a participar e 313 preencheram o questionário. A análise univariada demonstrou que a qualidade de vida estava significativamente associada à separação parental, sexo da criança, tempo passado com o pai, padrão de vida e nível de instrução materno. Em um modelo de regressão linear múltipla, os escores de qualidade de vida se mostraram mais baixos em meninos -4,5 (-6,8 a -2,3) e mais altos para tempo passado com o pai 0,09 (0,01 a 0,2). Em famílias separadas, a regressão demonstrou que os escores de qualidade de vida foram maiores quando a separação dos pais ocorrera em acordo mútuo 6,1 (2,7 a 9,4), quando a mãe possuía nível universitário 5,9 (...

Prevalência e características de escolares vítimas de bullying

“…In order to better understand violence in Brazil, it is necessary to investigate the natural history of disruptive behavior disorders, including other variables related to family characteristics 24 and other exposures 25 ; and it is also important to discover whether there is a window during which such behavior may be more easily modified. There is a need for large-scale prospective studies of bullying with representative samples, which can provide the basis for more comprehensive policies for the prevention and reduction of harm among children subject to violence.…”

Wartime Military Deployment and Increased Pediatric Mental and Behavioral Health Complaints

“…[4][5][6] Although family conflict is a potent confounder in linking parent separation to child mental and behavioral health issues, the decreased psychosocial quality of life of young children of divorced parents is partially mitigated by increased contact with the noncustodial parent. 31 There are also strong confounders in examinations of the mental health impact of separation of children caused by parental incarceration, especially propensity to social dysfunction. Separation caused by migration of a parent in the developing world has been linked to an increase in somatic illnesses, 9 in contrast to our findings.…”

Health-related quality of life in children with chronic conditions lodged at a comprehensive accommodation in the City of Buenos Aires

“…A study that assessed the impact of divorce on the HRQoL of children found significant differences in terms of psychosocial quality of life between joint and separated families, with a better HRQoL in relation to the time spent with the father when parents are separated by mutual agreement, when the mother has a university education, and when more time has elapsed since separation. 19 Besides, the lower the family socio-economic level, the lower were the mean HRQoL scores. This finding is consistent with that of other studies, where the lowest psychosocial scores were found among the most disadvantaged social classes.…”