Quality of life of adolescents with perceived disabilities

Objective To compare the self-perceived quality of life (QoL) of adolescents with and with-out disabilities. Method A school-based survey was conducted with 2,801 7th to 12th grade students in a rural area of the United States. The Youth Quality of Life Instrument-Surveillance Module and the Youth Quality of Life Group-Disability Screener were completed. Results Twenty-one percent of all students surveyed reported having one or more physical, emotional, or learning disabilities. Adolescents with disabilities reported lower QoL than adolescent without disabilities. However, self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and contex-tual variables were significant covariates in the relationship between disability and QoL. Conclusions These findings suggest channels to improve the QoL of adolescents with dis-abilities. Specifically, reducing social and environmental barriers to promote inclusion of ado-lescents with disabilities in school, family, and community activities is one practical avenue for reducing disparities in QoL. Key words adolescent; disability; quality of life; self perception; depression