Parent-reported outcomes in young children with disorders/differences of sex development

Ali, S. R., Macqueen, Z., Gardner, M., Xin, Y. , Kyriakou, A., Mason, A., Shaikh, M. G., Wong, S. C. , Sandberg, D. E. and Ahmed, S. F. (2020) Parent-reported outcomes in young children with disorders/differences of sex development. International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology, 2020, 3. (doi: 10.1186/s13633-020-0073-x) (PMID:32082389) (PMCID:PMC7020572)

Abstract

Background: There is a paucity of tools that can be used in routine clinical practice to assess the psychosocial impact of Disorders/Differences of Sex Development (DSD) on parents and children. Objective: To evaluate the use of short Parent Self-Report and Parent Proxy-Report questionnaires that can be used in the outpatient setting. Methods: Previously validated DSD-specific and generic items were combined to develop a Parent Self-Report questionnaire and a Parent Proxy-Report questionnaire for children under 7 years. Of 111 children approached at one tertiary paediatric hospital, the parents of 95 children (86%) with DSD or other Endocrine conditions completed these questionnaires. Results: Questionnaires took under 10 min to complete and were found to be easy to understand. Compared to reference, fathers of children with DSD reported less stress associated with Clinic Visits (p = 0.02) and managing their child’s Medication (p = 0.04). However, parents of children with either DSD or other Endocrine conditions reported more symptoms of Depression (p = 0.03). Mothers of children with DSD reported greater Future Concerns in relation to their child’s condition (median SDS − 0.28; range − 2.14, 1.73) than mothers of children with other Endocrine conditions (SDS 1.17; − 2.00, 1.73) (p = 0.02). Similarly, fathers of children with DSD expressed greater Future Concerns (median SDS -1.60; − 4.21, 1.00) than fathers of children with other Endocrine conditions (SDS 0.48; − 2.13, 1.52) (p = 0.04). Conclusion: DSD was associated with greater parental concerns over the child’s future than other Endocrine conditions. Brief parent-report tools in DSD can be routinely used in the outpatient setting to assess and monitor parent and patient needs.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Salma R. Ali is supported by an unrestricted education grant from Diurnal and the Gardiner Lectureship at the University of Glasgow. Zoe Macqueen was supported by the Association of Physicians of Great Britain and Ireland Summer Studentship; David E. Sandberg and Melissa Gardner were supported, in part, by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under award numbers R01HD053637 and R01HD093450, Disorders/Differences of Sex Development (DSD) – Translational Research Network.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Shaikh, Dr Mohammed Guftar and Xin, Miss Yiqiao and Ahmed, Professor Syed Faisal and Wong, Dr Jarod and Ali, Dr Salma and Kyriakou, Dr Andreas and Mason, Dr Avril
• Authors: Ali, S. R., Macqueen, Z., Gardner, M., Xin, Y., Kyriakou, A., Mason, A., Shaikh, M. G., Wong, S. C., Sandberg, D. E., and Ahmed, S. F.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Health Economics and Health Technology Assessment; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing
• Journal Name: International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology
• Publisher: BioMed Central
• ISSN: 1687-9856
• ISSN (Online): 1687-9848
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2020 The Authors
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Pediatric Endocrinology 2020:3
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License