Abstract
Background
To date, investigations of quality of life (QoL) in children with Down Syndrome (DS) are rather limited. The purpose of this study was twofold: to examine QoL in children with DS and to explore possible differences in the QoL by age and gender.
Methods
A cross‐sectional study of 211 parents of children with DS was conducted using an online survey that included a consent form, a demographic questionnaire, and the English version of KidsLife, which is a measure of children’s QoL.
Results
Our results demonstrated moderate or favorable levels of QoL except for the emotional well‐being domain among children with DS. The children’s QoL showed no variance by gender. However, emotional and material well‐being, interpersonal relations, and social inclusion
varied by age.
Conclusions
The current findings provide important evidence that will help healthcare, educational, and social services professionals to understand the multiple aspects of QoL in children with DS and support parents in their efforts to ensure the child’s QoL. The results also point to the need to develop interventions aimed at improving QoL in those areas where children with DS are at increased risk for poorer QoL.