Topic
Quality of life
About: Quality of life is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 42912 publications have been published within this topic receiving 1198363 citations. The topic is also known as: life quality.
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TL;DR: In this paper, a review of these studies indicates that few if any, procedures may be defended on the grounds that they improve the quality of life (QOL) of the patient.
240 citations
TL;DR: Assessment of the association of major and subsyndromal depression on quality of life (QOL) and aging experiences in older adults in a large international sample suggests that classifying a respondent as nondepressed is not sufficient and is still not informative about his or her QOL and attitudes toward aging status.
Abstract: Purpose: The impact of major depression on quality of life (QOL) and aging experiences in older adults has been reported. Studies have demonstrated that the clinical diagnosis of major depression is the strongest predictor for QOL. We postulate that some findings are biased because of the use of inadequate instruments. Although subsyndromal depression is more prevalent than major depression, there are no reports on its impact on QOL or attitudes toward aging. In the present study we aim at assessing the association of major and subsyndromal depression on QOL and attitudes toward aging in a large international sample. Design and Methods: Our cross-sectional study assessed 4,316 respondents in 20 countries from five continents. The study used the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) Assessment for Older Adults, known as the WHOQOL-OLD; the brief version of the WHOQOL instrument, known as the WHOQOL-BREF; and the Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire. Statistical analyses involved hierarchical multiple regression, as well as comparison of means. Results: Even relatively minor levels of depression are associated with a significant decrease in all QOL domains and with a pattern of negative attitudes toward aging (overall WHOQOL-OLD R 2 change = .421). QOL and attitudes toward aging scores are lower as depression intensity is increased, even in subsyndromal levels (overall WHOQOL-OLD mean scores of 95.7 vs 86.4, p , .001). This phenomenon happens not only for clinically depressed individuals but also for subsyndromic individuals. Implications: Present findings suggest that classifying a respondent as nondepressed is not sufficient and is still not informative about his or her QOL and attitudes toward aging status.
240 citations
TL;DR: An important new finding from this study is that individuals with an overactive bladder, even without demonstrable urine loss, also have a poorer quality of life than that of controls.
240 citations
TL;DR: The results support the feasibility and validity of the mapping approach and describe the HRQoL in terms of mean QoL weights in certain disease and socio-economic groups.
240 citations
TL;DR: A new index of the quality of life (QOL) of nations was created by combining two indices, designed primarily to assess QOL in highly industrialized nations and between developing countries, which produced a reliable measure of QOL that systematically covers diverse human values.
Abstract: A new index of the quality of life (QOL) of nations was created. The measured variables are selected based on a universal set of human values derived from the work of Schwartz (1994). The Basic QOL Index, designed primarily to discriminate between developing countries, includes seven variables: purchasing power, homicide rate, fulfillment of basic physical needs, suicide rate, literacy rate, gross human rights violations, and deforestation. The Advanced QOL Index, designed primarily to assess QOL in highly industrialized nations, includes seven variables: physicians per capita, savings rate, per capita income, subjective well-being, percent attending college, income equality, and environmental treaties signed. Combining the two indices produced a reliable measure of QOL that systematically covers diverse human values. The nations scoring highest on the Combined QOL Index were Canada, Switzerland, Netherlands, U.S.A., and Norway, and those scoring lowest were Ethiopia and Rwanda.
239 citations