summary
background Quality of life (QoL) has become an important outcome measure in health care, including in child psychiatry.
aim To formulate assessment criteria with regard to instruments that are designed to measure QoL in children.
method Literature search, using five key electronic databases.
results When selecting an instrument, one has to consider the following aspects: its validity and reliability, the relative dimensions of QoL, its suitability for use with both the child and its parents and its cross-cultural applicability. A number of instruments were found to meet these criteria.
conclusion The Child Quality of Life Questionnaire, the Revidierter Kinder Lebensqualitätsfragebogen, the tno-azl Children's Quality of Life questionnaire, the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory, the Child Health Questionnaire and in particular the kidscreen show to be suitable instruments for assessing QoL in children.