Self-and Parental Perspectives on Quality of Life in Children with Cancer

The objective of this study was to investigate self- and maternal ratings of Quality of Life (QoL) of children with cancer undergoing treatment and to examine the association with personality traits. Thirty-seven children with cancer and their mothers completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory version 4.0 (PedsQL), and the mothers also filled in the Hierarchical Personality Inventory for Children (HiPIC). Fifty-four healthy individuals served as a comparison group. Children with cancer and their mothers reported significantly poorer QoL, and the correspondence between mother and child for QoL was higher in the ill sample. QoL and personality measures shared substantial variance, suggesting that personality significantly affects children's QoL beyond effects from experiencing a negative life event such as cancer and its treatment.