Concurrent Validity of the International Family Quality of Life Survey

Family Support of Older Caregivers: Factors Influencing Change in Quality of Life

Understanding factors that can improve the quality of life (QOL) of older caregivers of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) is important in broadening participation in family empowerment interventions. The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing the QOL of older caregivers (50+) of adults with IDD who participated in a peer-mediated state-wide family support project. The research study used a quasi-experimental research design grounded in the family quality of life (FQOL) framework, with pretest and posttest data gathered from 82 caregivers. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted to identify factors influencing changes in the QOL of study participants. Findings indicated that improvements in caregiver QOL after participating in the project could be explained by caregiver's employment status, increased global FQOL, and decreased caregiver stress and depression.

Electronic Version of the Family Quality of Life Survey (eFQOLS): Reliability and Validity for Families of Individuals With Disabilities and Chronic Health Conditions

This study tested the psychometric properties of an electronic Family Quality of Life Survey (eFQOLS) when used with families of individuals with disabilities and/or chronic health conditions. Data gathered from 272 family caregivers using the eFQOLS were subjected to reliability analysis, correlation analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis to test the internal consistency of the scales, as well as criterion and construct validity of the internal structure of the scale. Testing factor structures of the item-level domain models indicated that initiative and stability had low factor loadings in many domains. As a result, these items were deleted from the subscales. The subscale-level FQOL factor structure demonstrated a good fit after two adjustments. The internal consistency of the 27-item total FQOL scale was excellent (α = .93), while that of the subscales ranged from moderate to strong (α = .69 to .90). The eFQOLS had a moderate degree of construct validity, good criterion validity, and reliability when used with diverse families across the lifespan. Additional research is needed to continue refining the survey with a more heterogenous sample.

Participants' Bias in Disability Research on Family Quality of Life during the 0-6 Years Stage

BACKGROUND

Over the past two decades, various research teams have designed and applied instruments to measure the quality of life of families with a member who has a disability. A recent systematic review on the state of the Family Quality of Life in early care identified that many of these studies collected data only from the mothers. The present study aimed to investigate whether there is a bias in participant selection in these types of studies.

METHOD

A systematic review of the scientific literature was conducted in three databases-Scopus, Web of Science, Eric-from 2000 to 2022. A total of 72 empirical studies were identified.

RESULTS

The findings indicate that most studies examining the Family Quality of Life were based on the information of a single informant per family unit. The profiles of participants according to the research objective are quite similar. In one-third of studies, the authors reported that family members who participate cannot be represented by only mothers or one participant per household.

CONCLUSIONS

Given the dynamic and collective nature of the construct, the application of a systemic approach is necessary.

The Influence of Family Crisis Coping Strategies on Family Quality of Life in the Assessment of Patients with Idiopathic Scoliosis

The aim of the study was to assess the impact of the strategies of coping with the family crisis in children and adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis on the level of their family's quality of life (FQOL). The study group consisted of 100 adolescents (girls 83%, boys 17% of the entire main group) with an average age of 14 (13.83 ± 1.92). The control group consisted of the same number of people as the study group (girls 78%, boys 22% of the entire control group) with an average age of 14 (14.09 ± 2.16). The FQOL scale was used to assess the family's quality of life, and the F-COPES scale was used to assess the problem-solving strategies used by the family (individual members) in a difficult life situation. Statistical analysis showed significant differences between the two compared groups. While dealing with a crisis situation in their families, adolescents treated for idiopathic scoliosis were using the spiritual support strategy (M ± SD 5.12 ± 2.07) significantly more often, while their healthy peers much more willingly and more often benefited from other possible strategies (F-COPES). Additionally, statistically significant differences were observed in the assessment of children and adolescents from both groups that the usage of different strategies available on the F-COPES scale correlated and affected the areas of the FQOL level of their families. Gaining spiritual support had a negative impact on the area of physical and financial well-being of FQOL, as assessed by juveniles with SI (R = -0.254, p = 0.011). However, in the opinion of healthy peers, the strategy of gaining social support (F-COPES) resulted in a higher level of FQOL in the area of disability problems (p = 0.005). A long process of SI treatment can cause crisis situations for patients and their families and affect both the physical and mental health of patients by changing the FQOL level of their families.

Measuring Family Quality of Life: Scoping Review of the Available Scales and Future Directions

The lack of quality of life is a key issue for families with children with an intellectual disability. While the quality of life for people with disabilities has previously been researched as an individual variable, this has now shifted to include family members. The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of the studies measuring the quality of life of families with an intellectually disabled member, in order to identify the most commonly used scales and their psychometric properties.

METHOD

Data were collected from six databases (ERIC, Web of Science, Scopus, CINAHL, MedLine, and Google Scholar), and this search yielded 3948 studies. One hundred and twenty studies that met the inclusion criteria were included in this study.

RESULTS

Nine scales were used in the last years to measure the quality of life for families with individuals with an intellectual disability. The Beach Center scale was the most common scale, followed by the Family Quality of Life Survey and the World Health Organization's quality of life assessment (WHOQoL-BREF). The results showed that the included studies in the review lack the consideration of a broader population representing the different types of cultures with different socioeconomic backgrounds. Key aspects used to assess the FQoL are environmental factors (proximal and distal factors), as well as economic factors.

CONCLUSION

Although the operationalization of the FQoL often incudes several subthemes, a general agreement regarding which domains of the FQoL need to be included in the measurements, and these do not exist right now. Moreover, multidimensional scales are still rare.

Health of aging families: Comparing compound and noncompound caregivers

Providing care to a family member with disabilities takes a toll on the health of the caregiver and the family. Among aging caregivers, compound caregiving (i.e., caring for two or more family members) has become an increasingly common scenario. However, few research studies have focused on compound caregivers. Extant literature describes individual-level outcomes, with sparse knowledge on family-level outcomes. The family quality of life framework was used in this study to examine differences in the individual and family health of aging compound and noncompound caregivers. Web-based cross-sectional data collected from 112 aging caregivers (age 50 and older) were analyzed using chi-square and independent sample t-tests to examine differences between caregivers. Compound caregivers had poorer perceptions of personal health than noncompound caregivers. In terms of family health, although all caregivers shared similar perceptions on the importance, opportunities, initiative, and stability, compound caregivers had lower attainment and satisfaction than noncompound caregivers. Multivariate regression analyses indicated that compound caregiving was associated with poorer family health. Personal health was positively associated with family health. Study findings have practice implications for identifying caregivers' multiple responsibilities. It is necessary to develop individual and family level programs focused on health promotion and caregiver training.

Transcultural adaptation and psychometric properties of Family Quality of Life Survey for caregivers of people with neurodegenerative disease: a study of Spanish families who live in the rural Spain-Portugal cross-border

BACKGROUND

Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are one of the main causes of disability and dependence that have a great impact both on the quality of life of people with disabilities and their families. A majority of people with NDs receive care and support from the family, but there is no tool in Spain with which to measure whole-family QOL. The aim of this study was the translation, cultural adaptation, and validation of the FQOLS-Dementia into Spanish to assess FQOL among family members of individuals with NDs who live in the Spain-Portugal cross-border area.

METHOD

The Spanish version was translated and adapted following the international guidelines for cross-cultural adaptation tests. A sample of 300 family caregivers was interviewed, applying an adapted version of the Family Quality Survey (FQOLS-Dementia). Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to validate the factor structure, and convergent validity was examined with Pearson's correlation coefficients of the global FQOL with the domains. Internal consistency reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha.

RESULTS

The domain structure of the FQOLS-ND showed a good fit. In the convergent validity, it was found that the total score and the subscale domain scores were associated with the global FQOL score, except for the Values domain. Internal consistency of nine domain subscales was strong (α = 0.80 to 0.91), and excellent for the total FQOL (α = 0.85) and the global FQOL (α = 0.87).

CONCLUSION

The FQOLS-ND presented good validity and reliability in caregiver families with individuals with ND, so its application shows its usefulness in detecting areas of improvement and intervention strategies for FQOL in the Spain-Portugal cross-border area.

The Spanish Family Quality of Life Scales under and over 18 Years Old: Psychometric Properties and Families' Perceptions

BACKGROUND

Family quality of life (FQoL), just like individual quality of life, has become a priority outcome in the policies and services received by persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. Conceptualizing, measuring, and theorizing FQoL has been the object of investigation in recent decades. The goal of this paper is to present a revision of the Spanish Family Quality of Life Scales, the CdVF-E < 18 and the CdVF-E >18, and describe the FQoL of Spanish families with a member with IDD.

METHODS

The sample included a total of 548 families with a member under 18 years old and 657 families with a member over 18. Based on an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) firstly and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) secondly, the two scales' psychometric properties were explored.

RESULTS

The CdVF-ER < 18 and the CdVF-ER > 18 comprise 5 dimensions, containing 35 and 32 items, respectively, and they show good validity and reliability. The families obtained a high FQoL score, although some differences exist between the dimensions on which families with children under and over 18 score highest and lowest.

CONCLUSION

The characteristics of the revised scales facilitate their use by professionals, administrations, and services.

State of the Art of Family Quality of Life in Early Care and Disability: A Systematic Review

Background: In recent years, there has been a growing international interest in family quality of life The objective of this systematic review is to understand and analyze the conceptualization of the quality of life of families with children with disabilities between 0 and 6 years of age, the instruments for their measurement and the most relevant research results. Method: A bibliographic search was conducted in the Web of Science, Scopus and Eric databases of studies published in English and Spanish from 2000 to July 2019 focused on "family quality of life" or "quality of family life" in the disability field. A total of 63 studies were selected from a total of 1119 and analyzed for their theoretical and applied contributions to the field of early care. Results: The functional conceptualization of family quality of life predominates in this area, and a nascent and enriching holistic conceptualization is appreciated. There are three instruments that measure family quality of life in early care, although none of them is based on unified theory of FQoL; none of them focus exclusively on the age range 0-6 nor do they cover all disabilities. Conclusions: The need to deepen the dynamic interaction of family relationships and to understand the ethical requirement that the methods used to approach family quality of life respect the holistic nature of the research is noted.

Family Quality of Life Survey (FQOLS-2006): Evaluation of Internal Consistency, Construct, and Criterion Validity for Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Families

AIMS

The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Family Quality of Life Survey (FQOLS-2006) when used with urban families predominantly from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.

METHODS

Data gathered from 193 family caregivers using the FQOLS-2006 were subjected to reliability analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, and correlational analyses to test the internal consistency of the scales (reliability), factor structure of the scales (construct validity), and convergence between the long and short versions of the tool (criterion validity).

RESULTS

Internal consistency of the 54-item total FQOL scale was excellent (α = .89), while that of the six-item domain subscales ranged from moderate to strong (α = .46-.81). Although the subscale-level FQOL factor structure demonstrated good fit, some of the item-level factor loadings within each of the domains were low. Correlations between scores derived from the long and short versions ranged from moderate to strong (r = .37-.73).

CONCLUSIONS

Although the internal consistency of the scales ranged from moderate to strong, the FQOLS-2006 had only a moderate degree of construct and criterion validity when used with a sample consisting predominantly of minorities from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds.