10.I have the important things I want right now.
11.There will be nothing that I will want to change
about my future.
12.I will be satisfied with my life in the future.
13.I expect my future life will be ideal for me.14.The conditions of my future life will be excellent.
15.I will have the important things I want in the future.
Notes :r1997 by William Pavot.
Reproduced with permission.
Quality of Life Index (QLI)
(Ferrans & Powers, 1985, 1992 )
Variable
Ferrans and Powers (1992) defined quality of life ‘as a person’s sense of well-being that stems from satisfaction
or dissatisfaction with the areas of life that are important’ for the person (p. 29). In choosing the label ‘satisfac-
tion’ they highlighted the idea that quality of life is determined by a judgment and evaluation of life conditions.
Following Campbell (1981) ,Ferrans and Powers (1985) considered satisfaction of needs in different life domains
as being relevant for an individual’s quality of life with the perceived discrepancy and achievement of needs
ranging from fulfillment to deprivation. Need in this approach was defined as ‘the amount of a particular reward
that a person may require’ ( Ferrans & Powers, 1985 , p. 17).
Description
The QLI measures quality of life considering an individual’s satisfaction with and importance of different life
domains (e.g., health care, physical health and functioning, marriage, family, friends, stress, standard of living,
occupation). Item content was derived from a literature review on quality of life and reports of patients about the
effects of hemodialysis on their quality of life. The QLI consists of 32 items that are rated twice, once for the
extent of satisfaction (1 5very dissatisfied to 65very satisfied ) and once for their importance (1 5very unimportant
to 65very important ). For use with dialysis patients, three more items measure aspects related to dialysis treat-
ment. According to Ferrans and Powers (1985) , a total score and four subscales can be computed, namely health
and functioning (12 items), socioeconomic (9 items), psychological/spiritual (7 items), and family (4 items).
Sample
The first sample ( Ferrans & Powers, 1985 ) consisted of 88 graduate students (97% females) with a mean age of
33.1 years (ranging from 23 to 52 years). The students completed the QLI in a paper-pencil questionnaire format.
The second sample (clinical sample; Ferrans & Powers, 1985 ) consisted of 37 dialysis patients (72% males) with a
mean age of 50.0 years (ranging from 24 to 75 years). The patients answered the QLI items in an interview for-
mat. The third sample (dialysis patients; Ferrans & Powers, 1992 ) consisted of 349 in-unit hemodialysis patients
(56% males) with a mean age of 55.2 years (ranging from 25 to 84 years). This sample was representative of the
population of adult in-unit hemodialysis patients in terms of gender ratio, months in dialysis, presence of diabe-
tes mellitus, or primary cause of renal failure, but it was slightly older, and had a higher ratio of white patients.
This sample responded to the QLI items in a paper-pencil questionnaire format.
The first and the second sample were used for initial examination of reliability and validity of the QLI total
scale. The third sample was utilized to study the factor structure of the QLI, and to further examine validity and
reliability of the total scale and the subscales.
Reliability
Internal Consistency
Cronbach alpha coefficients for the total scale ranged from α5.90 to α5.93 for the three samples. Alpha coef-
ficients for the subscales were α5.87 (health and functioning), α5.82 (socioeconomic), α5.90 (psychological/
spiritual), and α5.77 (family).
Test/C0Retest
Test/C0retest correlations were rtt5.87 for students ( n569; two-weeks interval) and rtt5.81 for patients ( n520;
one-month interval) ( Ferrans & Powers, 1985 ).108 5. MEASURES OF LIFE SATISFACTION ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
II. EMOTIONAL DISPOSITIONS