Quality of life in children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder: The pediatric quality of life enjoyment and satisfaction questionnaire (PQ-LES-Q)

Abstract

The current study examined quality of life (QOL) and its clinical correlates among 225 intensive treatment-seeking children and adolescents with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) using the Pediatric Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (PQ-LES-Q). Youth completed the PQ-LES-Q along with self-report measures assessing functional impairment, anxiety sensitivity, OCD symptoms, nonspecific anxiety, depression, and social anxiety. Parents completed measures on their child's anxiety, the presence of inattention/hyperactivity, depression, functional impairment, and frequency of family accommodation of symptoms. Contrary to expectation, child-reported OCD symptoms did not significantly predict QOL; however, lower overall QOL was strongly associated with the presence of comorbid major depressive disorder (g = −0.76) and slightly related to comorbid social phobia (g = −0.36). These results suggest that assessing and addressing comorbid conditions in the treatment of youth with OCD is an important component of intensive treatment.