Date of Graduation
1996
Document Type
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
Assessing the impact of chronic illness on child and adolescent functioning has become increasingly important as mortality rates associated with chronic illness have decreased and survival rates have increased. With improvements in prognosis, greater emphasis has been placed on the assessment of acute and residual dysfunction caused by chronic illnesses and their treatment. The multiple dimensions of functioning and well-being are commonly referred to as "quality of life" (QOL). The assessment of patient QOL provides an important outcome measure that complements the physiological outcome measures which are typically obtained. Patient reports of QOL are particularly important as the dysfunction caused by illness is often subjective in nature (e.g., pain, distress). However, the inclusion of QOL outcome measures in pediatric research and clinical trials is rare, primarily due to the lack of well-validated assessment measures. The goal of the current project was to develop a self-report measure of the impact of chronic illness on adolescent functioning. The reliability and validity of the measure were investigated.
Recommended Citation
Spieth, Leslie E., "Assessment of adolescent quality of life: Development and preliminary validation of a self-report measure." (1996). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 9814.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/9814