The systematic review revealed widespread utilization of developmentally appropriate QL instruments but less frequent use of both self and proxy reports and an inconsistent approach to age group specificities .
Research on the quality of life ( QL ) of children/adolescents with psychological disorders has flourished over the last few decades .
Given the developmental challenges of QL measurements in pediatric population s , the aim of this study was to ascertain the extent to which a developmental approach to  QL assessment has been applied to pedopsychiatric QL research .
Worse Quality of Life for Children With Newly Diagnosed Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Compared With Asthmatic and Healthy Children
Objective . To evaluate the quality of life ( QOL ) of untreated children with newly diagnosed attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD ) , compared with asthmatic and healthy children . Methods . This prospect i ve , case-control study included a group of 120 children , 6 to 12 years of age , with newly diagnosed ADHD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Fourth Edition . Subjects were matched according to age , gender , and health care area with 2 control groups , ie , 93 asthmatic children and 120 healthy children . Sociodemographic characteristics and Child Health Question naire scores were collected . Results . The QOL of children with ADHD was rated worse than that of asthmatic or healthy children for most Child Health Question naire domains . The greatest differences were found in behavior , social limitations attributable to physical problems , emotional impact on parents , and family activities . Almost every psychosocial domain was more affected in comparison with asthmatic children and both psychosocial and physical domains in comparison with healthy children . Conclusions . ADHD interferes with the daily lives of children , parents , and families even more than asthma , primarily in areas related to psychosocial functioning , although evidence of impaired physical functioning also emerged . Delays in recognition , assessment , and management of ADHD may affect negatively the QOL of those children
The systematic review revealed widespread utilization of developmentally appropriate QL instruments but less frequent use of both self and proxy reports and an inconsistent approach to age group specificities .
Research on the quality of life ( QL ) of children/adolescents with psychological disorders has flourished over the last few decades .
Given the developmental challenges of QL measurements in pediatric population s , the aim of this study was to ascertain the extent to which a developmental approach to  QL assessment has been applied to pedopsychiatric QL research .