The relationship between proxy reported health-related quality of life and parental distress: gender differences E. Davis,* B. Davies,† E. Waters* and N. Priest* *McCaughey Centre,VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Carlton, and †School of Health and Social Development, Burwood, Vic., Australia Accepted for publication 30 April 2008 Keywords parental gender, parental mental health, proxy reports and health-related quality of life Correspondence: Elise Davis, McCaughey Centre, VicHealth Centre for the Promotion of Mental Health and Community Wellbeing, School of Population Health, University of Melbourne, Level 5, 207 Bouverie St, Carlton 3053, Australia E-mail: eda@unimelb.edu.au Abstract Objective Although primary caregiver proxy reports of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are often used for healthcare decision making when child self-reports are unable to be collected (because of a variety of reasons such as child illness, disability or age), we have little understanding of the correlates of parent-proxy reports. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between parental depression and parent-proxy reported QOL for primary caregivers (mothers and fathers), using a multidimensional HRQOL instrument. It was hypothesized that maternal depression would be negatively correlated with maternal reported HRQOL, but that paternal depression would not be correlated with paternal reported HRQOL. Methods Data were from parents of children aged 4–5 years (n = 4983) involved in the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children. A questionnaire assessing parental depression (Kessler-6) and proxy reported HRQOL (Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory) was completed by the primary caregiver. Results For maternal primary caregivers, maternal depression was negatively correlated with all domains of maternal proxy reports of HRQOL (r =-0.24 to r =-0.36). For paternal primary caregivers, there was no relationship between paternal depression and paternal proxy reports of HRQOL. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that maternal depression was a significant predictor of total HRQOL, accounting for 12% of the variance. For paternal mental health, depression did not predict parent-proxy reported total HRQOL. Conclusion These results highlight the importance of assessing maternal mental health when measuring proxy reported QOL. Further research is needed in this area to examine the relationship between parental depression and proxy reported HRQOL (including both mothers and fathers, where possible), as well as child self-reported HRQOL. Introduction There is increasing interest in measuring the quality of life (QOL) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of children, particularly in the field of psychology, medicine and public health. QOL is the ‘individuals’ perceptions of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live, and in relation to their goals, expectations and concerns’ [World Health Organisation (WHO) QOL Group 1993, p. 153]. For children, ‘QOL includes, but is not limited to the social, Child: care, health and development Original Article doi:10.1111/j.1365-2214.2008.00866.x © 2008 The Authors Journal compilation © 2008 Blackwell Publishing Ltd 830