Confirmatory factor analysis of the quality of life scale and new proposed factor structure for the quality of life scale-revised

Abstract The Quality of Life Scale (QLS) is a frequently used semistructured interview for the assessment of functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Despite the use of the QLS for over 30 years, the original 4-factor structure of the instrument (Interpersonal Relations, Instrumental Role, Intrapsychic...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Schizophrenia research 2017-03, Vol.181, p.117-123
Main Authors: Mueser, Kim T, Kim, Min, Addington, Jean, McGurk, Susan R, Pratt, Sarah I, Addington, Donald E
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Confirmatory factor analysis
Exploratory factor analysis
Factor Analysis, Statistical
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Interview, Psychological
Male
Middle Aged
Pilot Projects
Psychiatry
Psychosocial functioning
Quality of Life
Quality of life scale
Recovery
Schizophrenia - diagnosis
Schizophrenia - therapy
Schizophrenic Psychology
Structural equation modeling
Young Adult
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Abstract The Quality of Life Scale (QLS) is a frequently used semistructured interview for the assessment of functional outcomes in schizophrenia. Despite the use of the QLS for over 30 years, the original 4-factor structure of the instrument (Interpersonal Relations, Instrumental Role, Intrapsychic Foundations, and Common Objects and Activities) has not been rigorously examined. Exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) and confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs) were used to evaluate the factor structure of the QLS in two independent datasets, including a mixed diagnostic sample of multi-episode participants ( N = 247), and a sample of individuals with a first episode of psychosis ( N = 337). A CFA with the first dataset indicated a poor fit for the 4-factor model of the QLS. Subsequent EFAs on this dataset led to a more promising 3-factor solution including 16/21 of the QLS items, which were similar to the first 3 of 4 factors originally proposed for the QLS. CFAs on the same dataset indicated that the 3-factor model for the QLS-Revised (QLS-R) fit the data well. This factor structure was evaluated with the second dataset using CFA and was also found to be fit the data well. The results support the robustness of the 3-factor model of the QLS-R in schizophrenia and mixed diagnostic samples. Future research should evaluate the validity of the 3-factor model of the QLS-R, and consider the merits of changing the name of the Intrapsychic Foundations factor to Motivation.
ISSN:0920-9964
1573-2509
DOI:10.1016/j.schres.2016.10.018