Measurement of Subjective Quality of Life of Elders

2000 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rob Ranzijn ◽  
Mary Luszcz

There are two aims in this article, to define subjective quality of life and to suggest a way to standardize its measurement to enable comparisons to be made across studies. One of the unresolved issues in gerontological research has concerned the definition and measurement of quality of life (Lawton, 1991). This article focuses on subjective well-being, one of the four components proposed by Lawton (1991). There seems to be a growing consensus that most scales of well-being have at least two concepts in common, positive and negative affect. To test this hypothesis, two well-being scales, the Philadelphia Geriatric Center Morale Scale (Lawton, 1975) and the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (Radloff, 1977), were subjec ted to confirmatory factor analyses, using data on 1717 participants in the Australian Longitudinal Study of Ageing aged between 70 and 103 years. Each scale was shown to contain factors of positive and negative affect. The article concludes with a suggestion that the measurement of quality of life in elders should include, at a minimum, scales of positive and negative affect as well as other measures relevant to the aspect of quality of life under consideration.

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-176
Author(s):  
O.I. Teslavskaia ◽  
T.N. Savchenko

The article presents the results of a study of Subjective quality of life and Psychological adaptation level among individuals with low, normal and high level of Escapism (N=329, 18-52 years old Russians from big cities). Four tests were applied including the new Escapism Scale. Individual with high level of Escapism have lower Subjective quality of life in several parameters — Stability in Country, Confidence in Future, Ecology, Social recognition, Interesting Job, Health and Active life, Internal Harmony and Inner Conflict absence, Privacy (as a Personal Space), Self-Confidence, (Subjective well-being Questionnaire, T. Savchenko, G. Golovina). ‘Excessive’ escapists also demonstrate lower level of psychological adaptation including Self-acceptance, Loyalty, Internality, Emotional Comfort, Intention to dominate (SPA Questionnaire, C. Rogers, R. Diamond). Because of that, Escapism can be characterized mainly as a compensational mechanism which emerges due to the reduced level of an individual’s adaptation to his/her social environment. The consistence of theoretical layout and empirical data obtained confirm the validity of presented Escapism Scale and its applicability for further empirical research.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-76
Author(s):  
T.G. Bokhan ◽  
A.L. Ul’yanich ◽  
O.V. Terekhina ◽  
T.A. Vidyakina ◽  
E.V. Galazhinskiy

Objective. Identification of features of subjective well-being and their connection with values, the implementation of which causes feelings of happiness and joy, among students of different cultural groups. Background. In the conditions of educational migration, students ‘life activity goes beyond the traditional cultural circle to a wide multicultural space, where a special role is given to the reflection of value and semantic regulation, which can be reflected in the subjective well-being of students’ representatives. Study design. We studied the features and differences in the cognitive and emotional components of subjective well-being and values among students of different cultural groups, and determined their relationship in each group. Descriptive statistics, comparative and correlation analysis were used for statistical data processing. Participants. The study sample consisted of 200 Tomsk University students aged 17 to 26 years (M=19.87; SD=1.88), who were divided into 5 study groups based on the criterion of cultural affiliation. Measurements. To study indicators of subjective quality of life, we used the “life satisfaction scale” (E. Diener, adaptation by D.A. Leont’ev, E.N. Osin) and the “scale of positive and negative affect” PANAS (D. Watson, adaptation by E.N. Osin). The orientation of values was studied using the B. Ford questionnaire. Results. It was found that the majority of representatives of all cultural groups are satisfied with their lives. There are statistically significant differences in life satisfaction indicators between cultural groups in the components of subjective well-being. The data obtained on differences (significance level p≤0.05) in values, the implementation of which allows students to experience feelings of joy and happiness, in some results are consistent with existing traditional ideas, in others — do not coincide with them, reflecting modern cultural transformations. Conclusions. Various interrelations of value orientations with components of subjective quality of life in the study groups are revealed, which may indicate specific cultural features.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 64
Author(s):  
Ingrida Baranauskienė ◽  
Liudmyla Serdiuk ◽  
Olena Chykhantsova

The article discusses the personal qualities of school-leavers that determine their hardiness at the stage of professional self-determination. It analyzes contemporary theoretical approaches to defining of the essence of the ‘hardiness’ concept. The factors are revealed that contribute to personal hardiness formation in the situation of professional choice. The article determines that hardiness components are related to the parameters of effective self-realization and personal subjective quality of life and hardiness is a key personality formation that mediates stress factor influence on psychological well-being and success in activities


Author(s):  
Christian Oswaldo Acosta Quiroz ◽  
Raquel García-Flores ◽  
Sonia Beatriz Echeverría-Castro

The objective of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Geriatric Depression Scale in its 15-item version (GDS-15) in Mexican older adults. Participants included 1178 older adults between the ages of 60 and 94 ( M = 69.16, SD = 7.69); 53.9% were women and 55.8% were married or with a partner. They completed the GDS-15, a subjective well-being scale, and a quality-of-life questionnaire. A Kuder–Richardson coefficient of .80 was obtained, which indicates an acceptable internal consistency of the GDS-15, as well as evidence of divergent validity with significant correlations of −.783 with subjective well-being and −.569 with quality of life, in addition to concurrent validity when discriminating between participants with low scores from those with high scores of depressive symptoms. The need for a simple screening tool such as the GDS-15 that helps in the identification of depressive symptoms in Mexican older adults is underlined.


1997 ◽  
Vol 170 (5) ◽  
pp. 422-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Franz ◽  
Stefanie Lis ◽  
K. Plüddemann ◽  
B. Gallhofer

BackgroundThe effectiveness of anti-psychotic drugs against positive psychotic symptoms has been demonstrated in many studies, but their effects on quality of life have yet to be clarified. The impact of different neuroleptic therapies on the subjective quality of life of schizophrenic patients is evaluated in a cross-sectional open study.MethodDuring a four-month period a standardised quality of life interview for schizophrenic patients was applied on day 10 after admission; 33 patients on atypical neuroleptics (AAP) were compared with 31 matched patients on conventional neuroleptics (CAP).ResultsThe AAP group had significantly higher scores in general quality of life as well as in different life domains: physical well-being, social life and everyday life. In separate comparisons of the AAP group, patients on clozapine and risperidone were found to have a higher quality of life score than patients on CAP or zotepine.ConclusionsThe pharmacological profile of clozapine and risperidone may provide a basis for explaining the higher subjective quality of life found in this study. The lower quality of life of the CAP group may possibly be related to intrinsic effects of the conventional antipsychotics.


Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 136236132095995
Author(s):  
Bethany FM Oakley ◽  
Julian Tillmann ◽  
Jumana Ahmad ◽  
Daisy Crawley ◽  
Antonia San José Cáceres ◽  
...  

Previous studies have reported reduced quality of life in autism. Improving quality of life for autistic people is, therefore, a key priority for clinical research and practice. However, the relative impact of core autism traits (e.g. social-communication difficulties), as compared to associated mental health symptoms (e.g. anxiety, depression) on quality of life remains poorly understood. This is despite at least 20%–50% of autistic individuals experiencing associated anxiety and/or depression symptoms. Hence, we measured subjective quality of life in 573 six to thirty-year-olds (autism spectrum disorder N = 344), using two widely validated questionnaires. Adults self-reported on the World Health Organization Quality of Life–Brief instrument. Parents of children/adolescents completed the Child Health and Illness Profile. We assessed individual variability across both measures and modelled associations between quality of life, core autism traits, anxiety, and depression symptoms. Across both age groups and quality of life measures, autistic individuals scored lower than comparison individuals, on average, particularly for physical health in adults ( d = −1.24, 95% confidence interval: [−1.56, −0.93]) and school achievement for children/adolescents ( d = −1.06, 95% confidence interval: [−1.29, −0.84]). However, a notable proportion of autistic individuals (36%–71% across quality of life domains) did not have reduced quality of life. Across ages and quality of life measures, severity of associated symptoms was significantly related to reduced quality of life on several domains, after accounting for core autism traits. Most notably, depression symptoms were related to reduced physical/psychological well-being in both adults ( β ⩾ −0.34) and children/adolescents ( β = −0.29, 95% confidence interval: [−0.36, −0.14]). For children/adolescents, anxiety symptoms ( β ⩾ −0.28) and core social-communication difficulties ( β ⩾ −0.22) were also related to subjective quality of life outcomes. Overall, findings indicate that not all autistic individuals experience reduced subjective quality of life. Variability in quality of life is significantly influenced by associated symptoms, across developmental stage. This may provide a tractable target for mental health services to improve quality of life for autistic individuals over the lifespan. Lay abstract Previous studies suggest that some autistic individuals report lower satisfaction, or well-being, with different aspects of everyday life than those without autism. It is unclear whether this might be partly explained by symptoms of anxiety and/or depression, which affect at least 20%–50% of autistic people. In this study, we measured individual differences in well-being in 573 six to thirty-year-olds with and without a diagnosis of autism. We investigated whether individual differences in well-being were explained by autism traits (e.g. social-communication difficulties) and/or anxiety and depression symptoms. We showed that, though well-being was lower for some autistic individuals, compared to those without autism, many autistic individuals reported good well-being. Where well-being was reduced, this was particularly explained by depression symptoms, across all ages. For children/adolescents, anxiety and social-communication difficulties were also related to some aspects of well-being. Our study suggests that support and services for improving mental health, especially depression symptoms, may also improve broader outcomes for autistic people.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Milena Chełchowska

In recent decades, the issue of life quality and its determinants has been increasingly discussed in the scientific literature. One of the key determinants of subjective well-being is the fact of being in a relationship (formal or not) as well as its quality. The results of analyzes for other countries show that people who have a partner have a higher subjective well-being than people who do not live with their spouse, while divorced people have the lowest (and the highest level of depression). In addition to being in a relationship, its quality is also important: people more satisfied with marriage declare greater well-being than those less satisfied. The aim of the study is to analyze quality of life (expressed in terms of well-being and depression) among older people in Poland, putting emphasis on their individual (e.g. age, sex, health status, level of education) and household (financial situation) characteristics. Importantly, the analysis takes into account the quality of the marriage approximated by the satisfaction with marriage declared by both spouses separately. For the purposes of this study I use data of ‘Social Diagnosis’ study carried out in 2015 in Poland. The final sample was limited to partnered older people aged 65+. Basic individual socio-demographic and economic as well as household characteristics were controlled for. The results show that older partnered men in Poland have higher subjective well-being than older partnered women. Also, older partnered men report significantly higher levels of marital satisfaction than older partnered women do. Moreover, it should be underlined that higher levels of marital satisfaction among older spouses may be beneficial for their own quality of life expressed by well-being and depression. Thus, better opinion about marriage may increase subjective well-being and decrease depression level. However, this relationship is different for older partnered men and women. Positive relationship between marital satisfaction and well-being is stronger for partnered women when subjective well-being is taken into account and for men when well-being is understood as depression level.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8157
Author(s):  
Olga Molinero ◽  
Alfonso Salguero ◽  
Sara Márquez

Osteoarticular diseases are one of the effects of aging, and they are related to physical, psychological, and social functions. Physical activity seems to slow the start and progression of these kinds of illnesses and presents benefits for psychosocial health. The main aim of the study was to investigate the possible effect of physical activity level (Yale Physical Activity Survey) on quality of life (SF-36 Health Questionnaire), subjective psychological well-being (Psychological Well-being Scale), and depression levels (Geriatric Depression Scale), depending on osteoarticular illness. The sample consisted of 263 Spanish adults aged 65 to 98 years who had high or low physical activity (assessed by YPAS Questionnaire) and osteoarticular disease. Results show that physical activity influences the perceived quality of life, depression levels, and subjective well-being in older adults regardless of osteoarticular disease. The present study suggests the need for promoting physical exercise due to its proven positive impact on older adults’ mental health, entailing a significant reduction in the risks of suffering from a variety of frequent diseases and disorders.


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