Peer-reviewed article
Higher severity of infant RSV infections is associated with lower parental quality of life - a European observational study.
Trautmannsberger I, Bösl S, Adamek I, Apfelbacher C, Beutels P et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study examined how respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infections in infants affect parents' quality of life across Germany, France, Italy, and Sweden. Parents whose children had more severe RSV infections reported significantly lower quality of life scores than parents of children with milder infections. The impact was stronger for parents who did not receive mental health support. The findings suggest that preventing severe RSV infections and providing psychological support to families are important.
Key points
- Parents of children with severe RSV had on average 12.1 points lower quality of life scores than parents of children with low severity infections (P=0.010)
- The negative association between RSV severity and parental quality of life was stronger among parents who had not been offered adequate mental health support
- 138 parents of hospitalised infants (under 24 months) participated in the online questionnaire study during the 2022-2023 RSV season
- Parental quality of life was measured using the validated PedsQL Family Impact Module
Limitations
The study is observational and does not establish causation. The sample size was relatively small (138 participants) and recruitment was limited to families whose children were hospitalised, which may not represent all RSV-affected families or those with milder cases managed at home.
Abstract
Background RSV infections in children affect the entire family. Nevertheless, evidence on the overall impact is scarce. This multi-country observational study aims to investigate the association between disease severity and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in affected families and to explore the role of factors related to mental well-being. Methodology Data were collected during the 2022-2023 RSV season in Germany, France, Italy and Sweden via an online questionnaire from parents of children (24 months) hospitalised for RSV. Parental HRQoL was assessed using the validated caregiver-reported PedsQL Family Impact Module. Exploratory analyses and multivariate linear regression models were performed focusing on potential key determinants. Results A total set of 138 participants was assembled. Parents of children with a severe RSV infection had on average - 12.1 [95% CI: -21.2 to - 3.03; P = 0.010] lower HRQoL Summary Score than parents of children with low severity index scores. Subsequent stratified analyses revealed a stronger association among parents who had not been offered (adequate) mental health support. Conclusion Higher RSV disease severity was associated with lower parental HRQoL. These findings highlight the importance of preventing severe RSV infection and the need for further research to identify and evaluate appropriate (psychosocial) support for affected families. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier, NCT05550545. Registered 12 September 2022.