Participation as a Predictor of Quality of Life among Japanese Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders Analyzed Using a Machine Learning Algorithm

Abstract

Participation is important for children’s quality of life (QOL). This study aimed to identify participation factors that influence QOL among Japanese children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Ninety-two Japanese parents of children with neurodevelopmental disorders participated in this study. The parents completed the parent version of the Kid- and Kiddo-KINDL health-related QOL questionnaire and the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth. The data were examined using the random forest algorithm to analyze the participation factors that affected the children’s QOL. The analyses revealed that school and community environmental factors that affected participation were the most important predictors of QOL among children. As school and community environments can significantly impact the QOL of children with neurodevelopmental disorders, greater focus should be placed on participation in environmental contexts.