Skip to main content
Search
Search
    Quick Search anywhere
    Quick search in Citations
Advanced Search
Skip main navigationClose Drawer MenuOpen Drawer Menu
Previous article
Next article
Original Articles

The WHO Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-100)

Published Online:October 03, 2006https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759.22.3.207

Abstract

This study scrutinizes the ability of the WHO quality of life assessment instrument (WHOQOL-100) to discriminate (1) between psychiatric outpatients and the general population, and (2) between subgroups of psychiatric outpatients. A sample of Dutch adult psychiatric outpatients (N = 410) completed the WHOQOL-100. In addition, DSM-IV Axis-I and Axis-II diagnoses were obtained. Compared with the general population, psychiatric outpatients scored significantly lower on all aspects of self-reported quality of life (QOL). Within the group of outpatients, participants with DSM-IV diagnoses had lower scores than those without. Participants with diagnoses on both Axis-I and Axis-II of DSM-IV (comorbidity) had the lowest self-reported QOL. It is concluded that in psychiatric outpatients, outcome scores of self-reported QOL were negatively related to presence and degree of psychopathology. The WHOQOL-100 has good discriminant ability for psychiatric outpatients.

References

  • Andrews, G. Peters, L. Guzman, A-M. Bird, K. (1995). A comparison of the two structured diagnostic interviews: CIDI and SCAN. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 29, 124– 132 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Angermeyer, M.C. Holzinger, A. Matschinger, H. Stengler-Wenzke, K. (2002). Depression and quality of life: Results of a follow-up study. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 48, 189– 199 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Bobes, J. González, M.P. (1997). Quality of life in schizophrenia. In H. Katschnig, H. Freeman, & N. Sartorius (Eds.), Quality of life in mental disorders (pp. 165-178). Chichester: Wiley First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Bonicatto, S.C. Dew, M.A. Zaratiegui, R. Lorenzo, L. Pecina, P. (2001). Adult outpatients with depression: Worse quality of life than in other chronic medical diseases in Argentina. Social Science and Medicine, 52, 911– 919 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences . Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Covinsky, K.E. Wu, A.W. Landefeld, S. Connors, A.F. Phillips, R.S. Tsevat, J. Dawson, N.V. Lynn, J. Fortinsky, R.H. (1999). Health status versus quality of life in older patients: Does the distinction matter?. American Journal of Medicine, 106, 435– 440 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • De Vries, J. (1996). Beyond health status. Construction and validation of the Dutch WHO Quality of Life assessment instrument . Ph.D. Thesis. Tilburg: Tilburg University First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • De Vries, J. Van Heck, G.L. (1995). The Dutch version of the WHOQOL-100 (In Dutch: De Nederlandse versie van de WHOQOL-100) . Tilburg: Tilburg University First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • De Vries, J. Van Heck, G.L. (1997). The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL-100): Validation study with the Dutch version. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 13, 164– 178 First citation in articleLink, Google Scholar

  • De Vries, J. Van Heck, G.L. (2003). De Nederlandse handleiding van de WHOQOL . [The Dutch WHOQOL manual]. Tilburg University: Tilburg First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • De Vries, J. Seebregts, A. Drent, M. (2000). Assessing health status and quality of life in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Which measure should be used?. Respiratory Medicine, 94, 273– 278 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • De Vries, J. Michielsen, H.J. Van Heck, G.L. Drent, M. (2004). Measuring fatigue in sarcoidosis: The Fatigue Assessment Scale (FAS). British Journal of Health Psychology, 9, 279– 291 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Devinsky, O. Cramer, J.A. (1993). Introduction: Quality of life in epilepsy. Epilepsia, 34(suppl 4), S1– 3 First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • First, M.B. Spitzer, R.L. Gibbon, M. Williams, J.B.W. (1997). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis-II Disorders . Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Giel, R. Nienhuis, F.J. (1996). SCAN-2.1: Schedules for clinical assessment in neuropsychiatry. (In Dutch: Vragenschema's voor klinische beoordeling in neuropsychiatrie) . Geneva: WHO, Division of Mental Health/Groningen: University of Groningen, Division of Social Psychiatry First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Gladis, M.M. Gosch, E.A. Dishuk, N.M. Crits-Cristoph, P. (1999). Quality of life: Expanding the scope of clinical significance. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 67, 320– 331 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Katschnig, H. Krautgartner, M. (2002). Quality of Life: A new dimension in mental health care. In N. Sartorius, W. Gaebel, J.J. Lopez-Ibor, & M. Maj (Eds.), Psychiatry in society (pp. 171-191). Chichester: Wiley First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Larsen, R.J. Buss, D.M. (2005). Personality psychology. Domains of knowledge about human nature (2nd ed. pp. 420-423). New York: McGraw-Hill First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Maffei, C. Fossati, A. Agostoni, I. Barraco, A. Bagnato, M. Deborah, D. Namia, C. Novella, L. Petrachi, M. (1997). Interrater reliability and internal consistency of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Personality Disorders (SCID-II), version 2. Journal of Personality Disorders, 11, 279– 284 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Masthoff, E.D. Trompenaars, F.J. Van Heck, G.L. Hodiamont, P.P.G. De Vries, J. (2005). Validation of the WHOQOL-100 in a population of Dutch adult psychiatric outpatients. European Journal of Psychiatry, 20, 465– 473 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Nelson, C.B. Rehm, J. Üstün, T.B. Grant, B. Chatterji, S. (1999). Factor structures for DSM-IV substance disorder criteria endorsed by alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and opiate users: Results from the WHO reliability and validity study. Addiction, 94, 843– 855 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • O'Carroll, R.E. Smith, K. Couston, M. Cossar, J.A. Hayes, P.C. (2000). A comparison of the WHOQOL-100 and the WHOQOL-Brief in detecting change in quality of life following liver transplantation. Quality of Life Research, 9, 121– 124 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Örsel, S. Akdemir, A. Daġ, I. (2004). The sensitivity of quality-of-life scale WHOQOL-100 to psychopathological measures in schizophrenia. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 45, 57– 61 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Power, M. Harper, A. Bullinger, M. The WHOQOL Group (1999). The World Health Organization WHOQOL-100: Tests of the universality of quality of life in 15 different cultural groups worldwide. Health Psychology, 18, 495– 505 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Rijnders, C.A.Th. Van den Berg, J.F.M. Hodiamont, P.P.G. Nienhuis, F.J. Furer, J.W. Mulder, J. Giel, R. (2000). Psychometric properties of the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN-2.). Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 35, 348– 352 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Schneier, F.R. (1997). Quality of life in anxiety disorders. In H. Katschnig, H. Freeman, & N. Sartorius (Eds.), Quality of life in mental disorders (pp. 149-163). Chichester: Wiley First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Simon, E.S. (2003). Social and economic burden of mood disorders. Biological Psychiatry, 54, 208– 215 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Skevington, S.M. (1999). Measuring quality of life in Britain: Introducing the WHOQOL-100. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 47, 449– 459 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Skevington, S.M. Wright, A. (2001). Changes in the quality of life of patients receiving antidepressant medication in primary care: Validation of the WHOQOL-100. British Journal of Psychiatry, 178, 261– 267 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Skevington, S.M. Carse, M.S. Williams, A.C. (2001). Validation of the WHOQO-100: Pain management improves quality of life for chronic pain patients. Clinical Journal of Pain, 17, 264– 275 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Smith, K.W. Avis, N.E. Assmann, S.F. (1999). Distinguishing between quality of life and health status in quality of life research: A meta-analysis. Quality of Life Research, 8, 447– 459 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Spitzer, R.L. Williams, J.B.W. Gibbon, M. First, M.B. (1990). Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R Personality Disorders (SCID-II) . Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • Suurmeijer, T.P.B.M. Reuvekamp, M.F. Aldenkamp, B.P. (2001). Social functioning, psychological functioning, and quality of life in epilepsy. Epilepsia, 42, 1160– 1168 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Weertman, A. Arntz, A. Kerkhofs, M.L.M. (2000). The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis-II Disorders (In Dutch: Gestructureerd klinisch interview voor DSM-IV As-II persoonlijkheidsstoornissen) . Lisse: Swets & Zeitlinger First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • WHOQOL Group (1994). The development of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment instrument (the WHOQOL). In J. Orley & W. Kuyken (Eds.), Quality of life assessment: International perspectives (pp. 41-60). Berlin: Springer-Verlag First citation in articleGoogle Scholar

  • WHOQOL Group (1998). The World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL): Development and general psychometric properties. Social Science and Medicine, 46, 1569– 1585 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Wing, J.K. Babor, T. Brugha, T. Burke, J. Cooper, J.E. Giel, R. Jablenski, A. Regier, D. Sartorius, N. (1990). Schedules for clinical assessment in neuropsychiatry. Archives of General Psychiatry, 47, 589– 593 First citation in articleCrossref, Google Scholar

  • Wing, J.K. Sartorius, N. Üstün, T.B. (1998). Diagnosis and clinical measurement in psychiatry a reference manual for SCAN . Cambridge: Cambridge University Press First citation in articleGoogle Scholar