Abstract
Many youth with significant medical needs have difficulty attending traditional schools due to academic, physical, and psychosocial challenges. To meet the needs of these youth and prepare them for a successful transition to a traditional school, a multidisciplinary school program (MSP) provides support in these three domains. The aims of this program evaluation are to describe the operation of the novel MSP, characterize participants, and determine the impact of participation as related to school attendance and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Attendance in the MSP was significantly higher than school attendance estimates provided by caregivers prior to participation in the program. Youth reported significant improvement in physical functioning and total HRQoL. Caregivers reported significant improvement in academic functioning and total HRQoL of youth. The MSP represents a unique educational model for youth with significant medical issues that also provides physical and psychosocial support. Initial findings highlight the potential positive impact of this model for this population of youth.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bessell, A. G. (2001). Children surviving cancer: Psychosocial adjustment, quality of life, and Sc…: EBSCOhost. Exceptional Children, 67(3), 345–359. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=0&sid=f72abc18-e25d-4713-8b93-fa6167f1bd5d%40sessionmgr4010&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3D%3D#AN=4772631&db=pbh
Canter, K. S., & Roberts, M. C. (2012). A systematic and quantitative review of interventions to facilitate school reentry for children with chronic health conditions. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 37(10), 1065–1075. Retrieved from https://academic.oup.com/jpepsy/article-abstract/37/10/1065/879044
Cohen, E., Kuo, D. Z., Agrawal, R., Berry, J. G., Bhagat, S. K. M., Simon, T. D., & Srivastava, R. (2011). Children with medical complexity: An emerging population for clinical and research initiatives. Pediatrics,127, 529–538. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2010-0910.
Cronholm, P. F., Forke, C. M., Wade, R., Bair-Merritt, M. H., Davis, M., Harkins-Schwarz, M., … Fein, J. A. (2015). Adverse childhood experiences: Expanding the concept of adversity. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 49, 354–361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2015.02.001
DeMaso, D., Martini, D., & Cahen, L. (2009). Practice parameter for the psychiatric assessment and management of physically ill children and adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry,48, 213–233. https://doi.org/10.1097/CHI.0b13e3181908bf4.
Denny, S., de Silva, M., Fleming, T., Clark, T., Merry, S., Ameratunga, S., … Fortune, S. A. (2014). The prevalence of chronic health conditions impacting on daily functioning and the association with emotional well-being among a national sample of high school students. The Journal of Adolescent Health : Official Publication of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, 54, 410–415. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2013.09.010
Eccles, J. S., Barber, B. L., Midgley, C., Wigfield, A., Reuman, D., Feldlaufer, H., … Jacobson, K. (1999). Eccles and Barber at the 1995 and 1997 Biennial meetings of the society for research on child development. Journal of Adolescent Research 14. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0743558499141003?casa_token=DR_loFTkSp4AAAAA:cdDt7YkS0TBxPKNhFCvc0jnNgvnVaCPYV18DkBLDE2X22IZVdHApCbKuPHwovU_GfMENaZCdtWOF
Eiser, C., & Morse, R. (2001). A review of measures of quality of life for children with chronic illness. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1718699/pdf/v084p00205.pdf
Eiser, C., & Varni, J. W. (2013). Health-related quality of life and symptom reporting: Similarities and differences between children and their parents. European Journal of Pediatrics,172, 1299–1304. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-013-2049-9.
Fowler, M. G., Johnson, M. P., & Atkinson, S. S. (1985). School achievement and absence in children with chronic health conditions. The Journal of Pediatrics,106, 683–687. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3476(85)80103-7.
Hinton, D., & Kirk, S. (2015). Teachers’ perspectives of supporting pupils with long-term health conditions in mainstream schools: A narrative review of the literature. Health and Social Care in the Community,23, 107–120. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12104.
Ingerski, L. M., Modi, A. C., Hood, K. K., Pai, A. L., Zeller, M., Piazza-Waggoner, C., … Hommel, K. A. (2010). Health-related quality of life across pediatric chronic conditions. The Journal of Pediatrics, 156, 639–644. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.11.008
Janicke, D. M., Marciel, K. K., Ingerski, L. M., Novoa, W., Lowry, K. W., Sallinen, B. J., & Silverstein, J. H. (2007). Impact of psychosocial factors on quality of life in overweight youth. Obesity,15, 1799–1807. https://doi.org/10.1038/oby.2007.214.
Kaffenberger, C. J. (2006). School reentry for students with a chronic illness: A role for professional school counselors. Professional School Counseling,9, 223–230. https://doi.org/10.5330/prsc.9.3.xr27748161346325.
Kaplan, R. M. (2001). Quality of life in children: A health care policy perspective. In H. M. Koot, J. L. Wallander (Eds.), Quality of Life in Child and Adolescent Illness: Concepts, Methods, and Findings (pp. 89–120). East Sussex, UK: Brunner-Routledge.
Kearney, C. A. (2008). School absenteeism and school refusal behavior in youth: A contemporary review. Clinical Psychology Review,28, 451–471. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CPR.2007.07.012.
Kobayashi, K., & Kamibeppu, K. (2011). Quality of life reporting by parent–child dyads in Japan, as grouped by depressive status. Nursing & Health Sciences,13, 170–177. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1442-2018.2011.00595.x.
Larson, R., Verma, S. (1999). How children and adolescents spend time across the world: Work, play, and developmental opportunities. Psychological Bulletin, 125(6), 701–736. Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/buy/1999-01567-005
Lindsay, S., Hartman, L. R., Reed, N., Gan, C., Thomson, N., & Solomon, B. (2015). A systematic review of hospital-to-school reintegration interventions for children and youth with acquired brain injury. PLoS ONE,10, e0124679. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0124679.
Logan, D. E., Simons, L. E., Stein, M. J., & Chastain, L. (2008). School impairment in adolescents with chronic pain. The Journal of Pain,9, 407–416. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JPAIN.2007.12.003.
Maslow, G. R., Haydon, A., McRee, A.-L., Ford, C. A., & Halpern, C. T. (2011). Growing up with a chronic illness: Social success, educational/vocational distress. Journal of Adolescent Health,49, 206–212. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JADOHEALTH.2010.12.001.
Meade, T., & Dowswell, E. (2016). Adolescents’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) changes over time: A three year longitudinal study. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes,14, 14. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-016-0415-9.
Notaras, E., Keatinge, D., Smith, J., Cordwell, J., Cotterell, D., & Nunn, E. (2002). Parents’ perspectives of health-care delivery to their chronically ill children during school. International Journal of Nursing Practice,8, 297–304. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1440-172X.2002.00383.x.
Prevatt, F. F., Heffer, R. W., & Lowe, P. A. (2000). A review of school reintegration programs for children with cancer. Journal of School Psychology,38, 447–467.
Searle, N. S., Askins, M., & Bleyer, W. A. (2003). Homebound schooling is the least favorable option for continued education of adolescent cancer patients: A preliminary report. Medical and Pediatric Oncology,40, 380–384. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpo.10270.
Shaw, S. R., & McCabe, P. C. (2008). Hospital-to-school transition for children with chronic illness: Meeting the new challenges of an evolving health care system. Psychology in the Schools,45, 74–87. https://doi.org/10.1002/pits.20280.
Shiu, S. (2001). Issues in the education of students with chronic illness. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education,48, 269–281. https://doi.org/10.1080/10349120120073412.
Sullivan, N. A., Fulmer, D. L., & Zigmond, N. (2001). School: The normalizing factor for children with childhood leukemia; perspectives of young survivors and their parents. Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth,46, 4–13. https://doi.org/10.1080/10459880109603338.
Van Cleave, J., Gortmaker, S. L., & Perrin, J. M. (2010). Dynamics of obesity and chronic health conditions among children and youth. JAMA,303, 623. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2010.104.
Varni, J. W., Burwinkle, T. M., Seid, M., & Skarr, D. (2003). The PedsQLTM* 4.0 as a pediatric population health measure: Feasibility, reliability, and validity. Ambulatory Pediatrics,3, 329–341. https://doi.org/10.1367/1539-4409(2003)003%3c0329:TPAAPP%3e2.0.CO;2.
Varni, J. W., Limbers, C. A., & Burwinkle, T. M. (2007a). Impaired health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with chronic conditions: A comparative analysis of 10 disease clusters and 33 disease categories/severities utilizing the PedsQLTM 4.0 Generic Core Scales. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes,5, 43. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-5-43.
Varni, J. W., Limbers, C. A., & Burwinkle, T. M. (2007b). Parent proxy-report of their children’s health-related quality of life: An analysis of 13,878 parents’ reliability and validity across age subgroups using the PedsQLTM 4.0 Generic Core Scales. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes,5, 1.
Varni, J. W., Seid, M., & Kurtin, P. S. (2001). PedsQLTM 4.0: Reliability and validity of the pediatric quality of life inventoryTM version 4.0 generic core scales in healthy and patient populations. Medical Care,39, 800–812.
Wallander, J. L., Thompson, R. J., Jr., & Alriksson-Schmidt, A. (2003). Psychosocial adjustment of children with chronic physical conditions. In M. C. Roberts (Ed.), Handbook of pediatric psychology (pp. 141–158). New York, NY: Guilford Press. Retrieved from http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-00032-009
West, S. L., Banks, L., Schneiderman, J. E., Caterini, J. E., Stephens, S., White, G., … Wells, G. D. (2017). Physical activity for children with chronic disease: A narrative review and practical applications. BMC Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-018-1377-3.
Yeo, M., & Sawyer, S. (2005). Chronic illness and disability. BMJ,330, 721–723. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.330.7493.721.
Acknowledgements
There are no funding sources.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Alison M. Colbert, Emily Edlynn, Victoria Mueller, Merlin Ariefdjohan, and Jennifer Lindwall declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent
This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Colbert, A.M., Edlynn, E., Mueller, V. et al. Evaluating Health-Related Quality of Life and School Attendance in a Multidisciplinary School Program for Youth with Significant Medical Needs. J Clin Psychol Med Settings 27, 416–428 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-019-09675-7
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10880-019-09675-7