KINDL is a psychometrically acceptable method of measuring quality of life in children. The KINDL consists of six dimensions; Physical wellbeing, emotional wellbeing, self-esteem, family, friends and everyday functioning. This questionnaire was developed with the aim of producing a set of flexible questions which could be answered by children of varying age groups; with this particular version targeting children between the ages of 7 and 13 (there are also versions for other age groups). It was developed in order to remedy the discrepancy between the urgency of the issue quality of life of adolescents and the lack of solutions available.
Questionnaire / Scales
24
Prof. Ulrike Ravens-Sieberer & Monika Bullinger
The KINDL questionnaire consists of 24 items that are grouped into six sub-scales: Physical wellbeing, Emotional well-being, Self-esteem, Family, Friends, and School. In addition, an additional sub-scale can be formed from the six questions in the “Disease” module. For each sub-scale, the results are calculated in three forms: a summed score, a mean score, and a score transformed to a scale of 0 to 100.
The KINDL questionnaire is a flexible, modular, and psychometrically acceptable method of measuring quality of life in children. It can help schools to identify areas where children may need additional support, such as emotional well-being or school-related issues. By using the KINDL questionnaire, schools can gain a better understanding of the quality of life of their students and develop targeted interventions to improve their well-being.
The sub-scales of the KINDL questionnaire are important for schools to measure because they cover different domains that are relevant to children's quality of life and well-being. For example, the Physical wellbeing sub-scale assesses children's health status, including their energy level, physical symptoms, and ability to perform daily activities. The Emotional wellbeing sub-scale measures children's emotional state, including their mood, anxiety, and self-esteem.
The Self-esteem sub-scale assesses children's sense of self-worth and confidence, while the Family sub-scale measures the quality of their relationships with family members. The Friends sub-scale assesses the quality of children's relationships with peers, and the School sub-scale measures their satisfaction with school-related activities and experiences. By measuring these different domains, schools can gain a better understanding of the factors that contribute to children's wellbeing and identify areas where they may need additional support or intervention.
For example, if a school finds that many students are reporting low scores on the Emotional wellbeing sub-scale, they may consider implementing programs or interventions to support students' mental health and emotional wellbeing.
Schools can use the results of the KINDL questionnaire to identify areas of strength and weakness, monitor changes over time, and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. By analysing the data, schools can gain a better understanding of the factors that contribute to their students' wellbeing and identify areas where they may need additional support or intervention. Schools can also use the results to inform their policies and practices related to student wellbeing and to communicate with parents and other stakeholders about their efforts to promote student wellbeing.
The KINDL questionnaire has different versions for different age groups and both a self-report version and a proxy version. Three versions of the KINDL questionnaire are available as self-report measures for different age groups: Kiddy-KINDL for children aged 4 to 6, Kid-KINDL for children aged 7 to 10, and Kiddo-KINDL for adolescents aged 11 to 17.
The average time for completion is 10 minutes, whereby younger children usually require longer to complete the questionnaire. There is no time limit for completing the questionnaire, however for the self-assessed version it is advisable to have the individual questionnaires checked by an authorised person for completeness, since the analysis of the questionnaire may be jeopardised if only a few items are answered.
