A Computational Model of Similarity Analysis in Quality of Life Research: An Example of Studies in Poland

Due to the multidimensional structure of the results of similarity studies, their analysis is often difficult. Therefore, a compact and transparent presentation of these results is essential. The purpose of the present study is to propose a graphical representation of the results of similarity analysis in studies on the quality of life. The results are visualized on specific diagrams (maps), where a large amount of information is presented in a compact form. New similarity maps obtained using a computational method, correspondence analysis, are shown as a convenient tool for comparative studies on the quality of life of different groups of individuals. The usefulness of this approach to the description of changes of the quality of life after the retirement threshold in different domains is demonstrated. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF questionnaire was used to evaluate individuals in Poland. By analyzing clusters on the similarity maps, two groups (employees and retirees) were classified according to their quality of life in different domains. By comparing the structures of the classification maps containing the information about the whole system considered, it is clearly seen which factors are important in the comparative studies. For the considered problems, the uncertainty coefficients describing the effect size and preserving the information on the symmetry of the variables that were used for the creation of the contingency tables were evaluated.

The effects of animal-assisted interactions on quality of life in children with life-threatening conditions and their parents

Background: Children with advanced cancer and their primary caregivers may experience severe stress and anxiety in coping with their life-threatening condition. As a way to help reduce these stressors and increase overall quality of life, research suggests that animal-assisted interactions may be beneficial when integrated into palliative care. Aims: This pilot study aims to provide evidence for the feasibility and efficacy of a randomised clinical trial using animal-assisted interactions to help improve the quality of life for children with an advanced life-threatening condition and their primary caregivers. This protocol paper outlines the basis of the research, goals, experimental design and methodology.

Abordări conceptuale și metodologii de măsurare a calității vieții. O analiză descriptivă

The main objective of this paper is to describe the logic of the conceptual approaches regarding the quality of life, and to identify the main dimensions and measurable indicators of quality of life. The identification of the main conceptualizations of quality of life is an essential step, in the context in which quality of life is often ambiguous or has multiple meanings. Although often used as an umbrella term which encompasses many aspects of human life, we aim to describe the logic of the integrative approaches regarding well-being/ quality of life. The identification of the main dimensions and measurable indicators of quality of life with a brief description of those, will serve to operationalize a list of life quality dimensions. Keywords: quality of life research; quality of life measurement; quality of life theory; social indicators; economic indicators. ●●●●● Principalele obiective ale acestei lucrări sunt de a descrie logica abordărilor conceptuale privind calitatea vieții și de a identifica principalele dimensiuni, respectiv indicatori măsurabili ai calității vieții. Analiza principalelor conceptualizări ale calității vieții reprezintă un pas esențial, în contextul în care utilizarea conceptului de calitatea vieții este adesea ambiguă sau cel puțin cu sensuri multiple. Deși utilizat adesea ca un termen-umbrelă care înglobează mai multe aspecte ale vieții umane, ne propunem să descriem logica abordărilor integrative privind calitatea vieții. Identificarea principalelor dimensiuni și indicatorii măsurabili ai calității vieții, cu o descriere pe scurt a acestora, va servi la operaționalizarea unei liste de dimensiuni a calității vieții. Cuvinte-cheie: cercetarea calității vieții; măsurarea calității vieții; teoria calității vieții; indicatori sociali; indicatori economici.

The Crit coefficient in Mokken scale analysis: a simulation study and an application in quality-of-life research

Purpose In Mokken scaling, the Crit index was proposed and is sometimes used as evidence (or lack thereof) of violations of some common model assumptions. The main goal of our study was twofold: To make the formulation of the Crit index explicit and accessible, and to investigate its distribution under various measurement conditions. Methods We conducted two simulation studies in the context of dichotomously scored item responses. We manipulated the type of assumption violation, the proportion of violating items, sample size, and quality. False positive rates and power to detect assumption violations were our main outcome variables. Furthermore, we used the Crit coefficient in a Mokken scale analysis to a set of responses to the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), a self-administered questionnaire for assessing current mental health. Results We found that the false positive rates of Crit were close to the nominal rate in most conditions, and that power to detect misfit depended on the sample size, type of violation, and number of assumption-violating items. Overall, in small samples Crit lacked the power to detect misfit, and in larger samples power differed considerably depending on the type of violation and proportion of misfitting items. Furthermore, we also found in our empirical example that even in large samples the Crit index may fail to detect assumption violations. Discussion Even in large samples, the Crit coefficient showed limited usefulness for detecting moderate and severe violations of monotonicity. Our findings are relevant to researchers and practitioners who use Mokken scaling for scale and questionnaire construction and revision.