Pandemic causing infection and its impact on family health-related quality of life: quantitative study

The study objective was to assess the family functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a sample of children diagnosed with severe respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection and to specify the difficulties of family functioning they faced, as the ongoing pandemic is a unique, unprecedented situation with unrated emotional and social impact. The 36-item Pediatric Quality of life™ 2.0. Family Impact Module Scale is a multidimensional tool, involving different aspects of life and estimating self-reported Parent HRQOL Summary Score (physical, emotional, social, and cognitive functioning) and The Family Functioning Summary Score (daily activities and relationships). Scores closer to 100 index higher quality of life. This module was completed by 67 families, whose children (aged 0 - 19 years) had been tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. Two negatively impacted subjects emerged in the Parent HRQL Summary Score: Emotional Functioning (mean value 56.3, SD 21.3), which involves parent’s feeling angry, sad, helpless, and Social Functioning (56.3, SD 25.1) by feeling isolated and lacking support. Mostly affected dimension in The Family Functioning Summary Score was Daily Activities (57.3, SD 26.0), that include managing household chores. Whereas, the least adversely affected aspects were Cognitive Functioning (76.9, SD 20.0) and Family Relationships (81.0, SD 16.1), respectively. A child being infected with SARS-CoV-2 affects several dimensions of family HRQOL, predominantly emotional and social functioning, and daily activities, however, to gain a more thorough understanding whether family HRQOL was negatively affected by the child’s acute illness itself or due to limitations following pandemic, a comparison with control group enrolling children with acute non- SARS-CoV-2 infections should be performed.