Developing a Quality of Life Measure to Assess the Impact of Community Services: The Case of Australian Community Banks

Purpose: While acne, a common condition, largely involves the face, chest, and back, current acne quality-of-life measures focus primarily on facial acne. The purpose of this study was to assess the need for a comprehensive quality-of-life measure intended for use with patients who have facial and/or torso acne. Methods: We evaluated the need for a comprehensive quality-of-life scale for facial and torso acne based on data from an epidemiological survey (N = 690) in which participants were grouped according to the location of their acne (face, torso, or both) and where quality of life was assessed. Results: Analysis of variance results revealed that participants with acne on their torso reported the highest levels of quality of life while participants with acne on their face reported the lowest levels. Conclusions: There is a need for a quality-of-life instrument that assesses the impact of acne on the face and torso separately. This unmet need can be addressed with a comprehensive acne quality-of-life measure that is inclusive of torso acne.

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Self-Compassion and Quality of Life in Adults Who Stutter

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2020_ajslp-20-00055 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 29 (4) ◽

pp. 2097-2108

Author(s):

Robyn L. Croft ◽

Courtney T. Byrd

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Social Connectedness ◽

The Self ◽

Future Research ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Adults Who Stutter ◽

And Gender ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify levels of self-compassion in adults who do and do not stutter and to determine whether self-compassion predicts the impact of stuttering on quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Participants included 140 adults who do and do not stutter matched for age and gender. All participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale. Adults who stutter also completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Data were analyzed for self-compassion differences between and within adults who do and do not stutter and to predict self-compassion on quality of life in adults who stutter. Results Adults who do and do not stutter exhibited no significant differences in total self-compassion, regardless of participant gender. A simple linear regression of the total self-compassion score and total Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering score showed a significant, negative linear relationship of self-compassion predicting the impact of stuttering on quality of life. Conclusions Data suggest that higher levels of self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connectedness (i.e., self-compassion) are related to reduced negative reactions to stuttering, an increased participation in daily communication situations, and an improved overall quality of life. Future research should replicate current findings and identify moderators of the self-compassion–quality of life relationship.

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