The impacts of dysphagia on quality of life, inclusion, and participation for children and young people: a scoping review

Dysphagia—difficulties swallowing—can affect the child’s quality of life and the family’s well-being; however, these impacts are not well understood. This scoping review aimed to examine the impacts of dysphagia on quality of life, participation, and inclusion for children and young people (aged 2–24 years) across contemporary literature. Five databases were searched based on a predetermined Prospero Protocol. Extracted data was analysed and synthesized with descriptive statistics and content analysis. Of the 75 studies identified, 53 studies were quantitative, 12 were literature reviews, and 10 implemented mixed or qualitative research methods. The impacts of dysphagia were described by the children and young people themselves, their parents/ caregivers, and allied health professionals. Qualitative analysis revealed various negative impacts relating to the social engagement, education, and psychological wellbeing. Dysphagia negatively impacts not only on the quality of life of the child, but the family around them. There has been a surge in research over the last five years describing these impacts. However, as most research was quantitative, further qualitative research is needed to gain richer insights on the lived experiences from the perspective of children, young people, their parents/caregivers, and allied health professionals.