Work

Family functioning mediation in tic severity and quality of life for children with Tourette syndrome

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Tourette syndrome (TS) is recognized as a neurodevelopmental disorder profoundly influenced by familial factors, particularly family functioning. However, the relationship among family functioning, tic severity, and quality of life in individuals with TS during childhood and adolescence remains unclear. We hypothesized that family functioning plays a role in the association between the severity of TS and quality of life in children. AIM: To determine the role of family functioning in the relationship between TS severity and quality of life. METHODS: the Tourette Syndrome Quality of Life Scale, and family functioning through the Family Assessment Device. Our analysis focused on correlating these measures and exploring the mediating role of family functioning in the relationship between tic severity and quality of life. Additionally, we examined if this mediating effect varied by gender or the presence of comorbidity. RESULTS: We found that family communication dysfunction had a significant mediating effect between tic severity and both psychological symptoms (indirect effect: Β = 0.0038, 95% confidence interval: 0.0006-0.0082) as well as physical and activities of daily living impairment (indirect effect: Β = 0.0029, 95% confidence interval: 0.0004-0.0065). For vocal tic severity, this mediation was found to be even more pronounced. Additionally, in male participants and those without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the mediating effect of family communication dysfunction was still evident. CONCLUSION: Our study highlights the impact of family functioning on the tic severity and the quality of life in children. This relationship is influenced by gender and comorbid conditions like attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Source: World Journal of Psychiatry

DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v14.i11.1641