Introduction:

The perception of children and adolescents´ quality of life has been a subject of several current studies (Abreu et al., 2016; Gaspar et al., 2008). However, studies on the parents' perception of children's quality of life are still scarce, which shows the relevance of this study.

Objetive:

To determine socio-demographic variables related to parents (father and mother) that influence their perception of their children's Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL).

Methods:

A quantitative, cross-sectional and descriptive-relational study with a convenience sample of a 592 parents of children who attended the 2nd and 3rd cycle schools in the central region of Portugal. The sample revealed an age mean of 40.43 years. Their children had an age mean of 12.43 years. Data collection, through the Portuguese version for parents of the KIDSCREEN scale - 52 © (Gaspar & Matos, 2008; Matos et al. 2013), took place in the year 2018/2019.

Results:

The dimensions of the HRQoL best perceived by parents, through their weighted average, were Bullying (mean=84.24(17.44), followed by Family and family environment (mean=82.66(13.81 ) and the overall mood state (mean=81.79(14.76). The worst perceived dimension was the School environment and learning (mean=72.60(15.12).

Conclusion:

The results indicate that both parents have a greater perception of children’s and adolescents´ HRQoL dimensions when relating to bullying, family, family environment and global mood. Younger parents revealed a better perception of their children's HRQoL.

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