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. 2023 Sep;38(9):3193-3198.
doi: 10.1007/s00467-022-05809-6. Epub 2022 Dec 2.

Family functioning and quality of life among children with nephrotic syndrome during the first pandemic wave

Nowrin F Aman  1   2 , Jessica Fitzpatrick  1   3 , Isabel de Verteuil  1 , Jovanka Vasilevska-Ristovska  1   2 , Tonny Hue Minh Banh  1 , Daphne J Korczak  4   5 , Rulan S Parekh  6   7   8   9   10
Affiliations

Family functioning and quality of life among children with nephrotic syndrome during the first pandemic wave

Nowrin F Aman et al. Pediatr Nephrol. 2023 Sep.

Abstract

Background: During the SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic, one of the longest lockdowns worldwide occurred in Ontario, Canada, during the first wave. For parents and children managing care at home and at risk for COVID-19, the impact on their psychosocial functioning is unknown.

Methods: A total of 122 families of children aged 2-18 years were enrolled as part of the prospective cohort of childhood nephrotic syndrome and completed a survey during the first wave of the pandemic (August 21-December 10), 2020. In a subset, 107 families had data available pre-pandemic to assess change. Validated measures included the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD) for parents and children ≥ 12 years for family functioning, the Patient Health Questionnaire for Depression and Anxiety (PHQ-4) for both parent and child, and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PEDSQL™-V4) for children only. Scores were compared using Student's t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test, as appropriate.

Results: Among the 107 children, 71% were male with a mean age of 9 years old at the time of questionnaire completion, and the mean age of parents was 41 years old. Parents and children reported that family functioning improved during COVID (parent: p < 0.01; child: p = 0.05). Children's overall HRQOL declined (p = 0.04), specifically increased sleep disruption (p = 0.01). Increasing child age was associated with a greater sleep disruption (β = - 1.6 [IQR: - 2.6, - 0.67]) and a related decrease in QOL (β = - 1.0 [IQR: - 1.7, - 0.2]), adjusted for sex.

Conclusions: Despite the positive effects of family dynamics during the first wave, there were negative effects of sleep disruptions and reduced quality of life in children, especially among older children. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information.

Keywords: COVID-19; Chronic disease; Family functioning; Nephrotic syndrome; Quality of life; Well-being.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

None
A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information
Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Assessment of family functioning and quality of life before and during wave 1 of the pandemic. Family functioning was assessed by the General Functioning Scale of McMaster Family Assessment Device by parents (A) and children ≥ 12 years (B), with a cut-off score of < 2.00 indicating better family functioning. Quality of life was assessed in children by total PEDSQL fatigue score (C) and PEDSQL psychosocial summary score (D). The total fatigue score is calculated as the mean of all the domains in the multidimensional fatigue scale, and the PEDSQL psychosocial summary is the mean of emotional, social, and school functioning domains. Quality of life assessed in children by total PEDSQL scores by age (E) and by sex (F) of children
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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