Self-assessment of the quality of life of children and adolescents in the child welfare system of Serbia

Abstract

Background/Aim. Children and adolescents who enter a child welfare system are at higher risk of suffering from mental disorders, physical health, and/or social and educational problems than the general population of the same age is. This study was organized with the aim to evaluate the general characteristics of quality of life (QOL) in children and adolescents living in residential and foster care in Serbia. Methods. Two hundred and sixteen children and adolescents, aged 8-18 years, from residential and foster care and 238 children and adolescents from the general population participated in the study. QOL was assessed using the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) - Serbian version. Three groups were created: residential care group (RCG), foster care group (FCG), and control group (children and adolescents from biological families - CG). Descriptive data were calculated for all questionnaires? scores, while t-test and ANOVA were used to compare them. Results. The mean value of the total PedsQL was lower in the RCG, 67.47 ? 17.75, than in the FCG and the CG, 88.33 ? 11.27 and 80.74 ? 11.23, respectively. Additionally, the RCG reported lower all PedsQL Scale scores, but the lowest value was for the psychosocial domain. These differences were statistically significant (F value ranged from 17.3 to 49.89, p < 0.000). However, only the scores of the RCG were statistically different from the FCG and the CG, while the differences between the FCG and the CG were statistically insignificant (p > 0.05). Conclusion. Children and adolescents living in residential care have significantly poorer QOL than those living in foster care or in biological families. On the other side, QOL in children and adolescents from foster care is similar to the one of those living in biological families.Uvod/Cilj. Deca i adolescenti koji se nalaze u sistemu socijalne zastite pod vecim rizikom su od mentalnih poremecaja, problema sa fizickim zdravljem i/ili od socijalnih i obrazovnih probleme, nego deca u opstoj populaciji. Ova studija sprovedena je sa ciljem da se procene opste karakteristike kvaliteta zivota kod dece i adolescenata koji zive u domovima i hraniteljskim porodicama u Srbiji. Metode. U studiji je ucestvovalo 216 dece i adolescenata, uzrasta od 8 do 18 godina, iz domova i hraniteljstva, i 238 dece i adolescenata iz opste populacije. Kvalitet zivota procenjivan je pomocu Pedijatrijskog upitnika o kvalitetu zivota (PedsQL) - srpska verzija. Formirane su tri grupe ispitanika: grupa iz doma (RCG), hraniteljstvo (FCG) i kontrolna grupa (deca i adolescenti iz bioloskih porodica - KG). Deskriptivni podaci izracunati su za rezultate svih upitnika, dok su t-test i ANOVA korisceni da ih uporede. Rezultati. Srednja vrednost ukupnog skora PedsQL bila je niza u grupi RCG, 67,47 ? 17,75, nego u grupama FCG i KG, 88,33 ? 11,27 i 80,74 ? 11,23. Pored toga, RCG imala je nize skorove PedsQL na svim skalama, ali je najniza vrednost bila za psihosocijalni domen. Ove razlike bile su statisticki znacajne (F vrednost bila je od 17,3 do 49,89; p < 0,000). Medjutim, samo su izmedju RCG i FCG i KG postojale statisticki znacajne razlike, dok su te razlike izmedju FCG i KG bile statisticki beznacajne (p > 0,05). Zakljucak. Deca i adolescenti koji zive u domovima imaju znatno nizi kvalitet zivota od onih koji zive u hraniteljstvu ili u bioloskim porodicama. S druge strane, kvalitet zivota dece i adolescenata iz hraniteljstva slican je onome koji imaju deca iz bioloskih porodica.