Is it feasible to assess self-reported quality of life in individuals who are deaf and have intellectual disabilities?. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
Sprache des Titels:
Englisch
Original Kurzfassung:
Purpose
There is consensus that Quality of Life (QOL) should be obtained through self-reports from people with intellectual Disability (ID). Thus far, there have been no attempts to collect self-reported QOL from people who are deaf and have ID.
Methods
Based on an established short measure for QOL (EUROHIS-QOL), an adapted easy-to-understand sign language interview was developed and applied in a population (n?=?61) with severe-to-profound hearing loss and mild-to-profound ID. Self-reports were conducted at two time points (t1 and t2), 6 months apart. The Stark QOL, an established picture-based questionnaire, was also obtained at t2 and three Proxy ratings of QOL (from caregivers) were conducted for each participant at t1.
Results
Self-reported QOL was successfully administered at both time points for 44 individuals with mild and moderate ID (IQ reference age between 3.3 and 11.8 years).
The self-reports showed sufficient test?retest reliability and significant correlations with the Stark QOL. As anticipated, self-reported QOL was higher than proxy-reported QOL. Test?retest reliability and internal consistency were good for self-reported QOL.
Conclusion
Reliable and valid self-reports of QOL can be obtained from deaf adults with mild-moderate ID using standard inventories adapted to the linguistic and cognitive level of these individuals.
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