Quality of life and psychosocial functioning in children with pectus carinatum undergoing orthotic rehabilitation: child- and parent-reported outcomes.

BACKGROUND

Pectus carinatum is a visible chest wall deformity that commonly affects children and adolescents and may have significant psychosocial and quality of life implications. Orthotic bracing is widely used as a conservative treatment approach; however, research focusing on participant(s) -reported outcomes during orthotic treatment remain limited.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study included 50 children with pectus carinatum undergoing orthotic brace treatment and their parents. Quality of life, body image perception, psychosocial functioning, treatment motivation, and physical limitations were assessed using the Pectus Carinatum Body Image and Quality of Life (PeCBI-QOL) questionnaire, incorporating both child- and parent-reported forms. Descriptive statistics and correlation analyses were performed to explore relationships among subscales and agreement between child and parent reports.

RESULTS

Female participants reported higher body image disturbance and social disadvantage compared to males. Treatment motivation scores were high across both sexes, while physical limitation scores were low, indicating minimal perceived functional restriction during orthotic treatment. Significant positive correlations were observed between body image disturbance and social disadvantage, particularly among female participants. Strong correlations were found between child- and parent-reported body image disturbance and treatment motivation scores, demonstrating substantial agreement between perspectives.

CONCLUSIONS

Children with pectus carinatum undergoing orthotic treatment experience notable body image and psychosocial concerns, especially females, which coexist with high treatment motivation and minimal physical limitation. The strong concordance between child and parent reports highlights the importance of incorporating family perspectives into the assessment of quality of life. These findings support a holistic, biopsychosocial approach to the conservative management of pediatric pectus carinatum.