Brief report: A quality of life instrument for adolescents with growth disorders

This study assessed the psychometric properties of a recently developed health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instrument (Vécu et Santé Perçue de l’Adolescent –Malade, VSP-AM) in 172 adolescents receiving growth hormone. The VSP-AM was cross-culturally adapted into English and tested for internal consistency ( α = 0.78 – 0.89 subscales, 0.74 Summary Score), construct and criterion validity, and responsiveness. Correlations with other scales demonstrated convergent validity. Adolescents who reported HRQOL as high or low had significantly different scores (all p<0.001). Adolescents receiving growth hormone therapy differed significantly from adolescents with medical, surgical or psychiatric disorders. The VSP-AM shows reliability and validity for HRQOL measurement in adolescents with growth disorders.