Quality of life of parents/caregivers of children and adolescents with Down syndrome.

PURPOSE To assess the quality of life (LQ) of parents/caregivers of children and adolescents with Down syndrome (DS), as well as the influence of socio-demographic aspects on the results obtained. METHODS Participants were 31 parents/caregivers of children and adolescents with DS, divided into three groups: G1, caregivers of ten preschoolers (ages between 1 year and 5 years and 11 months); G2, caregivers of 11 school-aged children (ages between 6 years and 10 years and 11 months); and, G3, caregivers of ten pre-teens and adolescents (ages between 11 years and 15 years and 11 months). Parents/caregivers characterization: most of them were between 40 and 49 years old; high-school was the most common education level, followed by incomplete elementary school and college education; concerning the socio-economic class, most of them were from classes C and B2. The QL WHOQOL- bref protocol was administered. RESULTS Eighty-four percent of the parents/caregivers rated their QL as "good", and 55% reported to be "satisfied" with their health. The lowest average score was found for the Environment domain, which was found to be correlated with socio-demographic variables "education degree" and "socio-economic level". No difference was found between groups when age ranges were compared. CONCLUSION The results suggest that the studied population consider their QL as "good", and is "satisfied" with their health. The Environment domain and the socio-demographic variables "education degree" and "socio-economic level" are the aspects that influence their quality of life.