Psychometric testing of a quality of life scale among Swedish people 75 years and above in need of help with activities of daily living or not
Author
Summary, in English
Few Quality of Life (QoL) instruments in use today were originally developed for older populations (75+). Information on their validity and reliability in this age group is sparse. The current study investigated the psychometric properties of the Life Quality Gerontological Centre Scale (LGC), a general QoL instrument designed for use among older people. A further aim was to describe and compare QoL with gender and in people needing help with Activities of Daily Living and those not needing such help. A postal questionnaire surveyed 1093 people (mean age 82.7, SD 5.3). Principal component analysis revealed that LGC was reasonably stable as the construct-and cross validation more or less replicated the suggested QoL factors. The instrument differentiated between needing help and not and between men and women. LGC needs further development with respect to reliability, face and content validity but is potentially useful as a diagnostic or an outcome assessment after interventions among older people. Individuals in need of help and women had lower scores in several QoL areas and in total QoL scores compared to those not needing help and men. Older people’s QoL may be improved by interventions directed to areas beyond health and physical functioning. Men and women might also benefit from different interventions directed towards QoL.
Publishing year
2006
Language
English
Pages
25-43
Publication/Series
Clinical Effectiveness in Nursing
Volume
9
Issue
Suppl. 1
Document type
Journal article
Publisher
Elsevier
Topic
- Nursing
Keywords
- Nursing
- Quality of life
- Psychometric testing
- Older people
Status
Published