Abstract
Three percent of children and adolescents in Germany have short stature (SS) which also includes patients with growth hormone deficiency (GHD) and idiopathic short stature (ISS). Growth hormone substitution in these patients is expected to increase height, health-related quality of life (HrQoL) and mental health. The present cross-sectional study investigated healthrelated quality of life and mental health of children with SS in comparison to a representative German population sample and examined differences within patients with respect to treatment status, diagnosis and actual height. A total of 143 patients (4–18 years) and their parents completed questionnaires for mental health (SDQ) and health-related quality of life (KIDSCREEN-52). Results showed that children and adolescents with short stature report significant HrQoL impairments in comparison to children with normal height, while differences in mental health were apparent at specific subscale levels. Within the clinical sample, no differences regarding age and gender were detected. Also, no significant differences in HrQoL and mental health were found according to diagnosis (GHD/ISS), treatment status and actual height. Parents rated their childrens’ HrQoL higher than the children themselves, whereas they considered their children’ psychological health problems more serious than the children themselves did. Results suggest that SS is associated with impairments in HrQol and mental health as compared to a population reference group, suggesting that these impairments should be addressed with condition-specific interventions. Generic tools such as KIDSCREEN did not yield differences within the patient group regarding clinical and socio-demographic characteristics. Clinical studies therefore should consider making use of condition specific measures.
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