PEERS Social Skills Intervention Impact on Quality of Life of Teens with Neurofibromatosis Type 1

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Hope Ruedin, “PEERS Social Skills Intervention Impact on Quality of Life of Teens with Neurofibromatosis Type 1”
Mentor: Bonita Klein-Tasman, Psychology
Poster #113

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is a rare neurological disorder that is estimated to affect about 1 in 3,000 individuals. Teens with NF1 often display difficulties with social skills and communication that can significantly impact health-related quality of life. In the present study, we explore the effects of UCLA Program for Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS) social skills intervention package on parent and self-reported teen quality of life before and after participating in a virtual 14-week social skills intervention. Teen health-related quality of life was examined using teen and parent reports on the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL; Varni et al., 1999). The PedsQL measures quality of life across four domains: Physical Functioning, Emotional Functioning, Social Functioning, and School Functioning. A total quality of life score is also provided. Fourteen adolescents between the ages 12-17 (M=13.78, SD=1.67) and their parents completed the PedsQL before and following participation in a 14-week virtual social skills intervention. Paired samples t-tests were used to examine change in PedsQL scores following the intervention. The results based on the parent report measure indicated a significant decline in scores for Physical Functioning (p=0.015), Social Functioning (p=0 .010), and School Functioning (p= <0.001). For the teen self-report measure, there was a statistically significant improvement in quality of life on the health-related quality of life total scores (p =0.031), Physical Functioning (p =0.021), and Social Functioning (p =0.070) scales. The PEERS intervention resulted in improvement in health-related quality of life based on teen self-report but appears to have resulted in a decline in health-related quality of life based on parent report. The parent reported decline in quality of life is paradoxical and requires further follow-up. When evaluating the effectiveness of social skills interventions, the PedsQL may be sensitive to measuring the impact of interventions on teens living with NF1.