QUALITY OF LIFE.
Item
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Title
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QUALITY OF LIFE.
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Identifier
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AAI8302513
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identifier
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8302513
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Creator
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GORNITSKY, LINDA BETH.
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Contributor
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Lee Rivlin | Charles P. Wolf
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Date
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1982
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Social
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Abstract
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This present study represents an effort to clarify the concept Quality of Life (QOL) through an investigation of the following aspects of the concept: its meaning, use in every day language as well as scientific discourse, components of the "good life", measurement techniques, factors which influence QOL, and planning as a possible context for QOL data.;A sample of 124 residents living in Stamford, Connecticut was randomly selected and interviewed during the summer of 1979. Respondents were asked to discuss their life in fairly general terms, after which specific items pertinent to the QOL concept were probed in greater detail.;The QOL concept was measured by an anchored 7-point satisfaction scale and a 7-point best-possible-worst-possible life scale. The results were analyzed using three multivariate techniques: factor analysis/data reduction, multiple regression and canonical correlation.;The QOL concept was found to be meaningful to people even though there were variations in the interpretations attached to the concept. The concept proved to be generally applicable to a number of situations, thus providing a framework for evaluating life situations.;As previous researchers had suggested, QOL is a multi-dimensional concept consisting of components which varied in degree of importance and strength of satisfaction. Although respondents differentiated 19 different influences on QOL, thse accounted for only 50% of the variance. Furthermore, a core set of items important to the majority of the sample was identified. These were surrounded by "satellite" variables hypothesized to exist in three concentric rings.;Although the weighting and satisfactory rating of the QOL concerns were similiar, the latter had twice the predictive power of the importance ranking. This implies that one's feelings about an aspect of life, rather than its relative priority, has a greater impact on the overall evaluation.;QOL data also have planning implications. The opportunity for government intervention exists, especially in those areas people felt they were unable to control and especially when it was viewed as assistance rather than interference.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
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Program
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Psychology
