Vojnosanitetski pregled 2012 Volume 69, Issue 6, Pages: 469-474
https://doi.org/10.2298/VSP1206469D
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Cited by
Self-assessment of the quality of life of children and adolescents in the child welfare system of Serbia
Damnjanović Maja (Department of Psychiatry, Clinic for Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth, Belgrade)
Lakić Aneta (Department of Psychiatry, Clinic for Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth, Belgrade)
Stevanović Dejan (Department of Psychiatry, General Hospital Sombor, Sombor)
Jovanović Ana (Department of Psychiatry, Clinic for Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth, Belgrade)
Jančić Jasna (Department of Psychiatry, Clinic for Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth, Belgrade)
Jovanović Mirjana (Department of Psychiatry, Clinic for Neurology and Psychiatry for Children and Youth, Belgrade)
Leposavić Ljubica (Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Centre of Serbia, Belgrade)
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.
Keywords: quality of life, child, adolescent, questionnaires, child, abandoned