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Background and Hypothesis In schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) personal recovery and subjective quality of life (S-QOL) are crucial and show conceptual overlap. There is limited knowledge about how these outcomes change over time. Therefore, we investigated changes in personal recovery or S-QOL for patients with SSD. We specifically focused on the influence of the patients' durations of illness (DOI) on changes in personal recovery and S-QOL. Study Design We included 46 studies investigating longitudinal changes in quantitative assessments of personal recovery or S-QOL for patients with SSD. Outcomes were categorized in overall personal recovery, overall S-QOL connectedness, hope and optimism, identity, meaning in life, and empowerment. We evaluated effect sizes of change between baseline and follow-up assessments. We also evaluated potential moderating effects, including DOI on these changes in outcomes. Study Results We found small improvements of overall personal recovery and S-QOL, but marginal or no improvement over time in the other more specific outcome domains. Patients without a schizophrenia diagnosis, a younger age, and more recent publications positively influenced these changes. We found no significant influence of DOI on the changes in any outcome domain. Conclusions Improvement in personal recovery or S-QOL of people with SSD is modest at best. However, these studies did not fully capture the personal narratives or nonlinear process of recovery of an individual. Future research should focus on how to shift from a clinical to more person-oriented approach in clinical practice to support patients in improving their personal process of recovery. Review protocol registration CRD42022377100. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kichan Yoon,1 Han-Kyoul Kim,2,3 Mankyu Choi,4,5,* Munjae Lee,6,* Mihajlo Jakovljevic7– 9 1The Institute for Democracy, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 3National Traffic Injury Rehabilitation Research Institute, National Traffic Injury Rehabilitation Hospital, Yang-Pyeong, Republic of Korea; 4Department of Health Policy & Management, College of Health Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 5BK21 FOUR R&E Center for Learning Health Systems, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 6Department of Medical Science, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea; 7Institute of Advanced Manufacturing Technologies, Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, St Petersburg, 195251, Russia; 8Institute of Comparative Economic Studies, Hosei University, Tokyo, 194-0298, Japan; 9Department of Global Health Economics and Policy, University of Kragujevac, Kragujevac, 34000, Serbia*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Munjae Lee, Department of Medical Science, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Republic of Korea, Email emunjae@ajou.ac.kr Mankyu Choi, Department of Health Policy & Management, College of Health Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Email mkchoi@korea.ac.krPurpose: The purpose of this study lies in verifying the effectiveness of the health promotion project which the public health center at the local level conducted by systematically linking the health examination results from the Health Insurance Corporation. We intend to emphasize the importance of linking the health-related public data.Methods: A survey was conducted to measure the effect of improving health behavior using EQ-5D-5L and demographic variables.Results: As a result of the analysis, the residents (3.13) who had experienced the use of public health centers recognized more necessity for the service linked systematically with health checkup data than those (2.93) who had not. In addition, the residents who had experienced the use of public health centers responded that their chronic diseases had improved compared to a year ago (2.78→ 2.93). Next, those (3.04) who had experienced the services linked with health checkup data recognized that their chronic diseases and health conditions had been improved compared to those (2.81) who had not. However, in EQ-5D-5L, after using the service, mobility showed no difference between those who had used the service and those who had not. Furthermore, even in terms of self-management, daily life, etc., the management ability was further improved compared to those who had not used it, before using the service.Conclusion: This study showed the improved health level when the health promotion service of the public health center was provided by systematically linking the health checkup data of the Health Insurance Corporation in Korea. In order to increase the effectiveness of health data-linked projects, it is necessary to prepare guidelines for linking the public health data and to expand the data-linked project. It will be needed to further subdivide the health checkup results to provide customized services, and to secure dedicated personnel to reinforce the system link.Keywords: subjective quality of life, EQ-5D-5L, regional health institutions, public data-linked services, South Korea

Quality of life (QOL) is a fundamental concept in social sciences that focuses on both objective and subjective dimensions. The quality of relationships, community, and shared experiences greatly influences people's success, satisfaction, and overall well-being. In Kermanshah, Iran, city crossings have caused physical changes and social resolutions. This research examines the relationship between social capital and QOL in Kermanshah. The study surveyed residents in regions 1, 2, and 4 using questionnaires distributed throughout these areas. Inferential analysis was conducted using SPSS software to measure the relationship between social capital variables (structural, normative, cognitive dimensions) and QOL (objective, subjective dimensions). All variables were significantly correlated within a 95% confidence interval (positive correlation), while primary variables showed insignificant correlation (GIVE A NUMBER INSTEAD OF SAYING AVERAGE LIKE CORRELATION OF 0.5?). AMOS software was used for structural equation modeling to explain the impact of independent variables on dependent variables and associated changes. Results indicate that cognitive social capital has the greatest contribution to changes in QOL.

People with depression tend to score low on measures of subjective quality of life (SQoL) which has been suggested to reflect a general negative bias of perception. However, studies do not tend to investigate specific life domains. This study investigated satisfaction with life domains in people with major depression and explored influential factors. A one-step individual patient data meta-analysis combined data of 1710 people with major depression from four studies. In all studies, SQoL was measured on the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life, which provides satisfaction ratings with 12 life domains. Associations between individual characteristics and satisfaction ratings were investigated using univariable and multivariable models. Mean satisfaction ratings varied across life domains. Participants expressed dissatisfaction with several domains but expressed satisfaction with others, mainly for domains associated with close relationships. Some of the investigated characteristics were consistently associated with satisfaction ratings across the domains. The primary limitation of this study was in the analysis of individual characteristics, which were chosen based on identification in existing literature and availability in our datasets, and of which several were dichotomised to have sufficiently large numbers which may have resulted in lost nuance in the results. People with major depression distinguish between their satisfaction with different life domains and are particularly satisfied with their close relationships. This challenges the notion of a general negative appraisal of life in this group, and highlights the need to evaluate satisfaction with different life domains separately. • No evidence of a general negative bias in subjective quality of life in depression • Life domains have varying satisfaction ratings for people with major depression. • Domains relating to close relationships were the most satisfied on average. • Some characteristics are consistently associated with satisfaction ratings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, an extended Intuitionistic Fuzzy Synthetic Measure (IFSM) with intuitionistic fuzzy (IF) entropy-based weights is presented. This method can be implemented in a ranking problem where the assessments of the criteria are expressed in the form of intuitionistic fuzzy values and the information about the importance criteria is unknown. One example of such a problem is measuring the subjective quality of life in cities. We join the debate on the determination of weights for the analysis of the quality of life problem using multi-criteria methods. To handle this problem, four different IF entropy-based weight methods were applied. Their performances were compared and analyzed based on the questionnaires from the survey concerning the quality of life in European cities. The studies show very similar weighting systems obtained by different IF entropy-based approaches, resulting in almost the same city rankings acquired through IFSM by using those weights. The differences in rankings obtained through the IFSM measure (and only by one position) concern the six cities included in the analysis. Our results support the assumption of the equal importance of the criteria in measuring this complex phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A two-factor structure of subjective quality of life (SQoL) was established for patients with schizophrenia with the dimensions being 'Life and Health' and 'Living Environment'. This study investigated whether the same structure applies in patients with mood and anxiety disorders and, if so, whether the dimension scores differ between the three diagnostic groups. SQoL data of 1366 patients with mood and 419 patients with anxiety disorders obtained on the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) were retrieved from 3 multisite studies. We performed Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs) based on the MANSA SQoL items of each diagnostic sample. Next, through a series of Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests, we compared the scores of the two factors across patients with mood disorders, anxiety disorders and schizophrenia. The two CFAs showed adequate fit of the two-factor structure across mood and anxiety disorders. The dimension scores on 'Life and Health' differed significantly between all three diagnostic groups. They were lowest in patients with anxiety disorders, higher in patients with mood disorders and highest in patients with schizophrenia. However, on the 'Living Environment' dimension, patients with mood disorders had significantly higher scores than patients with schizophrenia, whilst patients with anxiety disorders did not differ significantly from either other group. The findings suggest that a two-factor structure of SQoL applies across mental disorders. The two dimensions vary across diagnostic groups in different ways. Assessing two dimensions of SQoL may provide more specific and relevant information than global scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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We tested the association between gender-based violence (GBV), subjective quality of life, and mental distress manifested by anxiety, depression, and stress among Palestinian women exposed to political and military violence. Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21, Berlin Social Support Scales, WHO-5 subjective Quality of Life Scale, Women's Agency Scale 61, and Violence Against Women Questionnaire were administered to 332 purposely selected participants. Structural equation modeling was applied to address the study hypothesis. A conceptual model depicting GBV as a predictor, mental distress as an outcome variable, and agency and social support as mediators was confirmed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an approach to the analysis of the psychological mechanism of downshifting on the basis of the model of subjective quality of life. The model of subjective quality of life criteria are emotional and rational satisfaction-dissatisfaction with life. A necessary condition for downshifting is a low level of emotional life satisfaction, while the level of rational life satisfaction may be at a high enough level. An important element of objective analysis of downshifting is the change of a human potential as a component of subjective quality of life, which determines the rating of downshifting with social environment of the subject.

The paper views change in Russian university students' ideas about the quality of life during the pandemic. This empirical longitudinal study involved 107 first-year students of Kemerovo State University. To identify their ideas about the quality of life, R. S. Eliot's Quality of Life Index was used in the Russian language adaptation by N. E. Vodopyanova. The students were surveyed at the beginning of the online learning mode (April 2020), after 8 months of online classes, and upon switching back from online learning (September 2021). The initial sampling demonstrated the students' average extent of satisfaction with their quality of life during the lockdown. Among the problems they reported a poor ability to organize their own time, to act in difficult and changing circumstances, to control emotions. The students' satisfaction with personal relations and studies, in general, remained high. In the autumn of 2020, a significant decrease in most indicators under study was found in the surveyed group. In September 2021, the students showed positive trends in the parameters in question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Hypothesis: In schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD) personal recovery and subjective quality of life (S-QOL) are crucial and show conceptual overlap. There is limited knowledge about how these outcomes change over time. Therefore, we investigated changes in personal recovery or S-QOL for patients with SSD. We specifically focused on the influence of the patients' durations of illness (DOI) on changes in personal recovery and S-QOL., Study Design: We included 46 studies investigating longitudinal changes in quantitative assessments of personal recovery or S-QOL for patients with SSD. Outcomes were categorized in overall personal recovery, overall S-QOL connectedness, hope and optimism, identity, meaning in life, and empowerment. We evaluated effect sizes of change between baseline and follow-up assessments. We also evaluated potential moderating effects, including DOI on these changes in outcomes., Study Results: We found small improvements of overall personal recovery and S-QOL, but marginal or no improvement over time in the other more specific outcome domains. Patients without a schizophrenia diagnosis, a younger age, and more recent publications positively influenced these changes. We found no significant influence of DOI on the changes in any outcome domain., Conclusions: Improvement in personal recovery or S-QOL of people with SSD is modest at best. However, these studies did not fully capture the personal narratives or nonlinear process of recovery of an individual. Future research should focus on how to shift from a clinical to more person-oriented approach in clinical practice to support patients in improving their personal process of recovery., Review Protocol Registration: CRD42022377100., (© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Maryland Psychiatric Research Center.)

IntroductionIn this study, we investigated the health satisfaction levels of users of regional health and medical institutions in South Korea and the influencing factors.MethodsWe included randomly selected 300 people with experience in using health and medical institutions from panel data targeting the entire nation. We used questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L) and sociodemographic characteristics to analyze the health satisfaction. EQ-5D-5L was used to measure health-related quality of life in five areas: mobility, self-management, daily activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression. Hierarchical linear regression analysis was performed in three steps to examine the factors influencing health satisfaction.ResultsThe analysis showed that the health satisfaction was positively (+) correlated with monthly income, mobility, self-management, daily life, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression, and negatively (−) correlated with the number of chronic diseases and type of health insurance. The influencing factors in Step 1 and 2 were chronic diseases (β = −0.380, −0.385), respectively. The influencing factors in Step 3 were pain/discomfort (β = 0.202), anxiety/depression (β = 0.257), and the number of chronic diseases (β = −0.222).DiscussionsThe current data suggested that regional health and medical institutions should focus their services on residents with chronic diseases. Moreover, they should expand physical activities to relieve physical pain or discomfort and provide services related to mental health. To accomplish these, we suggested that the government will need to promote post-service health checkup results as a key project, provide user-customized services, provide online services utilizing ICT, expanding the government's financial support, and building infrastructure.

Purpose: Subjective quality of life (SQOL) is increasingly valued as an important outcome in schizophrenia treatment. The current study aims to gain insight into changes in SQOL during 5-year follow-up in older persons with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD). Methods: The sample consisted of a catchment area-based group of 75 older Dutch patients (mean age 66.0 years) with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Factor analysis was used to identify subdomains of SQOL, measured with the Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA). 5-Year course trajectories and putative predictors of changes in SQOL and subdomains were examined using multivariable regression analyses. Results: 72% was stable in either a high or a low SQOL-status over time. When outcome was defined as change score, 36%, 20%, and 44% of participants, respectively, reported a clinically relevant improvement, deterioration, or no change of SQOL during follow-up. Three SQOL subdomains were identified with different course trajectories; 33% of participants reported an improvement in the subdomains satisfaction with 'daily life' and 'personal circumstances.' The largest number of declines (28%) was reported in the subdomain satisfaction with 'physical and mental health.' Predictors of positive total and subdomain SQOL-change scores were limited to a higher age of onset and higher baseline SQOL scores. Conclusion: In this cohort of older persons, it was demonstrated that SQOL might considerably change during 5-year follow-up. As course trajectories differed among subdomains, separate evaluation of these subdomains is clinically relevant. Improvement of SQOL is an attainable goal in older SSD patients despite deteriorating physical health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Few studies have examined self‐reported perceived stress in autistic adults. Existing studies have included relatively small, predominantly male samples and have not included older autistic adults. Using a large autistic sample (N = 713), enriched for individuals designated female at birth (59.3%), and spanning younger, middle, and older adulthood, we examined perceived stress and its associations with independence in activities of daily living and subjective quality of life (QoL). Perceived stress for autistic adults designated male or female at birth was compared to their same birth‐sex counterparts in a general population sample. In addition, within the autistic sample, effects of sex designated at birth, age, and their interaction were examined. Regression modeling examined associations between perceived stress and independence in activities of daily living and domains of subjective QoL in autistic adults, after controlling for age, sex designated at birth, and household income. Autistic adults reported significantly greater perceived stress than a general population comparison sample. Relative to autistic adults designated male at birth, those designated female at birth demonstrated significantly elevated perceived stress. Perceived stress contributed significantly to all regression models, with greater perceived stress associated with less independence in activities of daily living, and poorer subjective QoL across all domains—Physical, Psychological, Social, Environment, and Autism‐related QoL. Findings are contextualized within the literature documenting that autistic individuals experience elevated underemployment and unemployment, heightened rates of adverse life events, and increased exposure to minority stress. Lay Summary: This study looked at self‐reported perceived stress in a large sample of autistic adults. Autistic adults reported more perceived stress than non‐autistic adults. Autistic individuals designated female at birth reported higher stress than autistic individuals designated male at birth. In autistic adults, greater perceived stress is related to less independence in activities of daily living and poorer subjective quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective. Identification of features of subjective well-being and their connection with values, the implementation of which causes feelings of happiness and joy, among students of different cultural groups. Background. In the conditions of educational migration, students ‘life activity goes beyond the traditional cultural circle to a wide multicultural space, where a special role is given to the reflection of value and semantic regulation, which can be reflected in the subjective well-being of students’ representatives. Study design. We studied the features and differences in the cognitive and emotional components of subjective well-being and values among students of different cultural groups, and determined their relationship in each group. Descriptive statistics, comparative and correlation analysis were used for statistical data processing. Participants. The study sample consisted of 200 Tomsk University students aged 17 to 26 years (M=19.87; SD=1.88), who were divided into 5 study groups based on the criterion of cultural affiliation. Measurements. To study indicators of subjective quality of life, we used the “life satisfaction scale” (E. Diener, adaptation by D.A. Leont’ev, E.N. Osin) and the “scale of positive and negative affect” PANAS (D. Watson, adaptation by E.N. Osin). The orientation of values was studied using the B. Ford questionnaire. Results. It was found that the majority of representatives of all cultural groups are satisfied with their lives. There are statistically significant differences in life satisfaction indicators between cultural groups in the components of subjective well-being. The data obtained on differences (significance level p≤0.05) in values, the implementation of which allows students to experience feelings of joy and happiness, in some results are consistent with existing traditional ideas, in others — do not coincide with them, reflecting modern cultural transformations. Conclusions. Various interrelations of value orientations with components of subjective quality of life in the study groups are revealed, which may indicate specific cultural features.

The research featured predictors of subjective quality of students' life in the context of international student migration. The paper focuses on the ideological and ethnic components of social identity as a key predictor of the subjective quality of life in students of different ethnicities. The subjective quality of life was studied from the point of view of its motivational, emotional, and cognitive components. The research involved foreign students of Tomsk universities that came from various African or European countries, China, India, and Russia. The social identity was defined based on two questionnaires, namely The Types of Ethnic Identity by G. U. Soldatova and S. V. Ryzhova and The Scale of Ideological Ego Identity by J. R. Adams; components of the subjective quality of life – according to The Scale of Positive and Negative Affect by D. Watson et al., The Scale of Life Satisfaction by E. Diener et al., and The Values of Happiness by B. Ford et al. The authors managed to define the factor structure of social identity, which appeared to have both ethnically-specific and universal features. All cultural groups demonstrated certain factors of social identity that can act as key predictors of ideas about happiness, as well as about emotional (dominant affect) and cognitive (assessment of life satisfaction) components of the subjective quality of life. The results can help to set goals for psychological and educational support of foreign students.

The issue of left-behind children has become a key focus in China. In this study, we investigate the mediating role of social support between social anxiety and the subjective quality of life among left-behind children in China (N = 379, M age = 13.65). A total of 710 junior high school students were recruited using clustering random sampling from five middle schools in China and investigated using the Social Anxiety Scale for Children, Social Support Rating Scale for Adolescents, and Inventory of Subjective Life Quality. The results show that social anxiety is negatively associated with social support and subjective quality of life, and social support is positively correlated with subjective quality of life. In addition, social support partially mediates the relationship between social anxiety and subjective quality of life. In conclusion, these findings provide new insights to improve the subjective quality of life of left-behind children. The focus should be on alleviating social anxiety and increasing social support in order to help left-behind children improve their subjective quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The issue of left-behind children has become a key focus in China. In this study, we investigate the mediating role of social support between social anxiety and the subjective quality of life among left-behind children in China (N = 379, Mage = 13.65). A total of 710 junior high school students were recruited using clustering random sampling from five middle schools in China and investigated using the Social Anxiety Scale for Children, Social Support Rating Scale for Adolescents, and Inventory of Subjective Life Quality. The results show that social anxiety is negatively associated with social support and subjective quality of life, and social support is positively correlated with subjective quality of life. In addition, social support partially mediates the relationship between social anxiety and subjective quality of life. In conclusion, these findings provide new insights to improve the subjective quality of life of left-behind children. The focus should be on alleviating social anxiety and increasing social support in order to help left-behind children improve their subjective quality of life.

Subjective quality of life (SQoL) represents an important outcome of psychotic disorders. However, determinants of SQoL and their complex inter-relationships in the early course of illness remain to be clarified. Association between neurocognitive impairment and SQoL in first-episode psychosis (FEP) is understudied. This study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine relationships among SQoL, depressive, positive and negative symptoms, neurocognition, and psychosocial functioning in FEP patients. Three hundred and forty-seven patients aged 25–55 years presenting with FEP to early intervention program in Hong Kong were recruited. Assessment encompassing symptom profiles, psychosocial functioning and a battery of neurocognitive tests were conducted. SF-12 mental component summary scores were computed as the primary measure of SQoL. Our correlation analyses revealed differential relationships between negative symptom subdomains and SQoL, with amotivation, but not diminished expression, being related to SQoL. Final SEM model yielded a good model fit (comparative fix index = 0.94; root mean square error of approximation = 0.05; standardized root mean square residuals = 0.07) and demonstrated that depression, positive symptoms and psychosocial functioning were directly associated with SQoL, with depression showing the strongest effect. Amotivation, neurocognition and positive symptoms had an indirect effect on SQoL via the mediation of psychosocial functioning. This study affirms depression as a critical determinant of subjective mental wellbeing, and underscores an intermediary role of psychosocial functioning in linking amotivation, neurocognitive impairment and positive symptoms to SQoL in FEP patients. Depression and functional impairment thus constitute as crucial therapeutic targets for improvement of SQoL in the early illness stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is devoted to studying the Subjective Quality of Life (SQL), its essence and processes closely related to its movement. It highlights both the research methodology in this area of knowledge and recent advances in the creation of a broad empirical base needed to carry out such research. The practical results of the article include the identification of the actual relationship between the SQL and traditional indicator of people's well-being—their level of life, as well as the conclusion that at the present stage of human development the accumulation of material wealth and economic growth, which have hitherto been playing a central role in this development, are gradually yielding to its nonmaterial forms of accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Background The goal of clinicians and healthcare workers providing treatment to patients with psychiatric disorders, has shifted over time from focusing on the symptoms alone towards functional improvement. In this study, we aimed to compare the subjective quality of life (QoL) among patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods QoL scores were collected using 36-item Short Form Survey Instrument. QoL scores were compared between 203 outpatients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders and 185 outpatients with MDD using analysis of covariance. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale was administered to assess the severity of psychiatric symptoms among patients with schizophrenia and Personal Health Questionnaire-8 items was utilized to assess the severity of depressive symptoms among patients with MDD. The correlation coefficient (r) of socio-demographic factors and core psychiatric symptoms with QoL were analyzed using multiple linear regression. Results As compared to patients with MDD, patients with schizophrenia reported better health scores in all QoL subdomains, except for physical function (PF). Among patients with schizophrenia, old age was correlated with better mental health (MH, r = 0.35) and PF (r = 0.37). Compared to those of Chinese ethnicity, those of Malay, Indian and other ethnicity were correlated with worse PF (r = − 0.43 for Malays; r = − 0.30 for Indians and r = − 0.34 for other ethnicities). Longer duration of mental illness was correlated with worse MH (r = − 0.30), worse PF (r = − 0.38) and worse scores on role limitations due to physical health problems (RP, r = − 0.30). Among patients with MDD, older age was correlated with worse PF (r = − 0.33) and patients without comorbid physical illness reported less bodily pain (r = 0.45) and better general health (r = 0.34). Moreover, all psychiatric symptoms among patients with schizophrenia were negatively correlated with QoL, but the strength of the correlation was less than that between depressive symptoms and QoL among patients with MDD. Conclusion Patients with schizophrenia generally reported better QoL as compared to patients with MDD. The correlates of QoL differed between patients with schizophrenia and patients with MDD. This study adds to the understanding of QoL among patients with mental illnesses and may aid in better management of these patients with different psychiatric diagnoses.

Tomoya Takeda,1 Masahito Nakataki,2 Masashi Ohta,2 Sayo Hamatani,3 Kanae Matsuura,2 Reona Yoshida,2 Naomi Kameoka,2 Takeo Tominaga,4 Hidehiro Umehara,2 Makoto Kinoshita,2 Shinya Watanabe,4 Shusuke Numata,4 Satsuki Sumitani,5 Tetsuro Ohmori4 1Graduate School of Medical Science, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan; 2Department of Psychiatry, Tokushima University Hospital, Tokushima, Japan; 3Research Center for Child Mental Development, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan; 4Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan; 5Academic Support Office for Students with Special Needs, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan Purpose: Recently, cognitive variables such as negative and positive self-belief and thoughts have attracted much attention because they are associated with functional outcomes and quality of life (QOL). However, it is unclear how cognitive variables affect subjective and objective QOL. This study aimed to investigate the relationship of negative and positive self-belief and thoughts with subjective and objective QOL.Participants and methods: Thirty-six people with schizophrenia participated in this study. Subjective and objective QOL were assessed with the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS) and Quality of Life Scale (QLS), respectively. Neurocognitive function was assessed with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS). Clinical symptoms were assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia. Side effects were assessed with the Drug-induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale (DIEPSS). Negative and positive self-belief and thoughts were assessed with the Defeatist Performance Belief Scale and Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Revised. A generalized linear model was tested, with subjective and objective QOL as the response variable and symptoms, neurocognitive function, and cognitive variables that were significantly correlated with subjective and objective QOL as explanatory variables.Results: In the schizophrenia group, the common objects score on the QLS was predicted by the composite BACS score, and the total QLS score was predicted by the DIEPSS score. Motivation and Energy, Psychosocial, and Symptoms and Side effects scores on the SQLS were predicted by depression and by negative automatic thought (NAT) and positive automatic thought (PAT).Conclusion: Our results indicated that key targets for improving objective and subjective QOL in people with schizophrenia are side effects, neurocognitive function, depression, and NAT and PAT. Keywords: defeatist performance belief, negative and positive automatic thoughts, subjective quality of life, objective quality of life, schizophrenia

The ageing of the population is one of the most important problems of contemporary European societies. It is assumed that, within the next two decades, the percentage of people aged 65 and older throughout the population of the European Union will increase up to 20%, and around 2060 – nearly one third of the community’s inhabitants will reach this age. Therefore, it is important for the elderly people to have proper living conditions ensured, in particular in countries such as Poland, where seniors are still marginalised and excluded from many areas of social life. The quality of life of people in the post‑working age can be determined by taking account of numerous factors. These include, above all: financial situation, living conditions, health condition, self‑esteem, and the feeling of playing a significant role for the family and for the society. The purpose of the presented study is to assess the quality of life of elderly people from the region of Malopolskie Voivodship. The analysis of the research material takes account of various aspects of this particular category, namely the quality of life, with clear focus on the so‑called subjective quality of life. Conclusions were drawn on the basis of results of the study conducted in 2015 on a group of 150 people aged 60+, living in the counties of Myślenice and Nowy Targ from the Małopolskie Voivodship. Among numerous elements that can be used to assess the quality of life, crucial importance has the determination of the degree of satisfaction of seniors on several levels: with regard to relations with family members, health condition, and the housing situation. In addition, it was deemed important to identify the attitude of the environment towards seniors, as well as indicate the needs and expectations of elderly people with regard to e.g. services and products missing from the Polish market and addressed to this age category. The research results indicate that the subjective quality of life of the examined elderly people from the two counties is on an average level. Such a conclusion may be drawn on the basis of opinions of the respondents, who are rather satisfied with contacts with the environment and, at the same time, moderately satisfied with their health condition. Furthermore, the examined seniors notice clear shortages on the Polish market within the offer of services and products addressed specifically to their age group.

Despite the popularity of interdisciplinary assessments of social well-being and quality of life of people in different countries, neither national nor international comparative projects provide a unified approach to assessing the quality of life. There are many approaches that differ in the amount of information used, methods of its analysis, details of the problems studied, approaches to their measurement. In sociological studies of the quality of life, we still search for an optimal combination of objective indicators of the social-economic development of countries and subjective estimates of life by the population. Moreover, quite often, when comparing objective and subjective indicators, the rankings of countries do not coincide even if the dynamics of indicators looks similar. The article presents a new approach to the analysis and measurement of the quality of life that takes into account not only physical existence, social environment, well-being and safety but also opportunities for personal growth, creativity, freedom to choose one’s life trajectory and style. Based on the data of the 2016 and 2012 European Social Studies (ESS), the author conducted a comparative analysis of the subjective life quality in Russia and other European countries. The article presents a method for calculating a composite index of 24 indicators including 11 indicators representing the existential aspect of the quality of life. The comparison of Russia with European countries shows that the subjective quality of life in Russia is lower than in other countries of Europe due to the long-term social transformation, unjust distribution of property and incomes, and strong social-economic differentiation. The social trauma had serious consequences for the identification, social connections, loyalty, patterns of thinking and behavior, and is still accompanied by a significant social-psychological tension and low estimates of most life quality parameters.

The paper features the identification of individual-specific patterns of personal potential among the rural youth of the North of Siberia with and without alcohol dependence. The research methods included E. Y. Mandrikova’s questionnaire "Selfactivity", S. Maddi’s test in resilience (adapted by D. A. Leontiev and E. I. Rasskazova), D. A. Leontiev’s questionnaire "Reflection", E. Diener scale of subjective well-being, M.Ritsner’s questionnaire of quality of life satisfaction, R. Janoff-Bulman’s scale of basic beliefs, and B. Scheldon’s scale of self-determination. The research revealed some general trends in the structure of personal potential among the rural youth of the North of Siberia. It also made it possible to establish the types of deformations of personal potential among the young people with alcohol dependence syndrome. The resources and personal potential deficiencies identified by the present research may help to determine the targets of psychological correction, as well as to choose psychotherapeutic and psychocorrectional methods in the provision of specialized medical and psychological assistance in the prevention, therapy, and rehabilitation of young people with alcohol addiction.

The main objective of this study was to analyze the influence of materialism on adolescents’ subjective quality of life. For the empirical research, 705 questionnaires were applied in public and private schools in the city of João Pessoa (Brazil), resulting 667 valid responses of adolescents between 12 and 18 years of age, mostly women and from private schools. The sampling was by conglomerates and the analysis of the data was quantitative. From the results, it was not possible to confirm the direct influence of the level of materialism on the level of subjective quality of life. The limitations were presented by not having identified a high level of materialism among the adolescents surveyed. The social contribution of this study is the identification of factors that may increase adolescent consumption.

Masashi Ohta,1 Masahito Nakataki,1 Tomoya Takeda,1 Shusuke Numata,1 Takeo Tominaga,1 Naomi Kameoka,2 Hiroko Kubo,1 Makoto Kinoshita,1 Kanae Matsuura,2 Maki Otomo,3 Naoya Takeichi,4 Masafumi Harada,3 Tetsuro Ohmori1 1Department of Psychiatry, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan; 2Department of Psychiatry, Tokushima University Hospital, Tokushima, Japan; 3Department of Radiology and Radiation Oncology, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Tokushima University, Tokushima, Japan; 4Department of Radiology, Tokushima University Hospital, Tokushima, Japan Purpose: Quality of life (QOL) is an important clinical outcome for patients with schizophrenia, and recent studies have focused on subjective QOL. We evaluated the causal relationship between psychosocial aspect of subjective QOL, symptoms, cognitive functions, and salience network (SN) dysfunction in schizophrenia using structural equation modeling (SEM). Patients and methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 21 patients with symptomatically stabilized schizophrenia and 21 age-, sex-, and education level-matched healthy controls who underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging. We evaluated SN dysfunction in schizophrenia using independent component analysis (ICA). We rated participant psychopathology using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia (BACS), and the Calgary Depression Scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS). We rated psychosocial aspect of subjective QOL using the Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale (SQLS) psychosocial subscale. We applied SEM to examine the relationships between SN dysfunction, PANSS positive and negative scores, CDSS total scores, BACS composite scores, and SQLS psychosocial subscale scores. Results: In second-level analysis after group ICA, patient group had significant lower right pallidum functional connectivity (FC) within the SN than the controls did (Montreal Neurological Institute [MNI] [x y z] = [22 -2 -6]) (p = 0.027, family-wise error [FWE] corrected). In SEM, we obtained a good fit for an SEM model in which SN dysfunction causes depressed mood, which in turn determines psychosocial aspect of subjective QOL (chi-squared p = 0.9, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) < 0.001, comparative fit index [CFI] = 1.00, and standardized root mean square residual [SRMR]= 0.020). Conclusion: We found a continuous process by which SN dysfunction causes depressed moods that determine psychosocial aspect of subjective QOL in schizophrenia. This is the first report that offers a unified explanation of functional neuroimaging, symptoms, and outcomes. Future studies combining neuroimaging techniques and clinical assessments would elucidate schizophrenia’s pathogenesis. Keywords: depressed mood, salience network, schizophrenia, structural equation modeling, subjective quality of life, resting-state fMRI

The article presents the results of a study of the subjective quality of life in elderly people who have experienced gerontological violence. Methods of research: questionnaire SF‑36 for general state of health assessment; a questionnaire aimed at studying the psychological content of gerontological abuse (Puchkov P. V., 2009). As a result, it was revealed that the majority of respondents who experienced gerontological abuse had a significantly limited ability to perform daily routine associated with physical stress (climbing stairs, lifting things, walking, etc.). They are more vulnerable and more sensitive to behavioral changes associated with emotional states. They often restrict social contacts, the level of communication with family, relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. due to the deterioration of physical and emotional state. Depressive, anxious experience and mental ill-being have a negative impact on emotional sphere. Most of the respondents are experiencing a psychological, economic kind of violence and a disdainful attitude on the part of their relatives. The new scientific data obtained can be used in the development of the gerontological direction in the developmental psychology, as well as in the crisis psychological support for senior citizens.

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Quality of life is a key indicator of outcome following traumatic brain injury (TBI). Research has reported several different factor structures for the Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI, Frisch, 1994). We compared the fit of existing factor models and examined the clinical utility of the QOLI's factors in a sample of Australian adults with TBI. Archival data from 901 participants were provided by the Neurotrauma Register of Tasmania. Participants were aged 16-80 years and 63% were male. Approximately 69% had mild TBI (PTA < 24 h), approximately 24% had moderate TBI (PTA >1 day, <7 days) and 7% had severe TBI. Both cross sectional and longitudinal analyses were utilized, as participants provided data at one or more of seven time-points, up to 3 years following injury. The results showed the data best fitted a three-factor model, comprising Self-functioning and activity, Self-actualization and Family and environment factors, and a second order Overall QOL factor. Differences in the trajectory of recovery were noted between the QOLI factor scores over time and in relation to demographic and injury variables. In conclusion, the three-factor structure of the QOLI provided useful clinical information about the recovery of patients' subjective quality of life following TBI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study examined the subjective quality of life among youth with severe physical disabilities during the transition to adulthood. Method: A purposive sample of 74 youths (mean age 20.19) with severe physical disabilities completed World Health Organization Quality of Life – Brèf (WHOQOL-BREF) to measure the quality of life; the Severely Disabled Youths' Life Situation and Functioning of Service Systems in Finland to measure health issues. The data were analyzed using one-sample and independent-samples t-tests, and sequential multiple regression analysis. Results: Compared to youth without disabilities, the study youth scored lower values in physical, social, and environmental quality of life. No gender differences were found in the quality of life among youth with severe physical disabilities. Age, gender, and intensity of pain were associated with quality of life. Conclusions: This evidence-based knowledge can be used to provide guidance for policy issues such as providing health and social services for youth with severe physical disabilities in Finland. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Subjective quality of life is a central patient-reported outcome in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders. The Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of Life (MANSA) is an established and widely used instrument for its assessment. The present study is a secondary analysis of large schizophrenia studies and aims to establish the factorial structure of the MANSA with a rigorous two-step methodology.Methods: A sample of 3120 patients was randomly split into two datasets; the first includes two thirds of the patients and serves as the calibration sample (N = 2071) and the second includes one third of them and serves as the validation sample (N = 1049). We performed an exploratory factor analysis with the calibration sample followed by a confirmatory factor analysis with the validation sample.Results: Our results for both samples revealed a model with adequate fit comprising two factors. The first factor encompasses eight items measuring satisfaction with a variety of life and health-related aspects of quality of life, whereas the second consists of four items assessing satisfaction with living environment comprising living alone or with others, accommodation, family, and safety. These two factors correlate in a different way with socio-demographic characteristics such as age and living conditions.Conclusions: Future trials and service evaluation projects using the MANSA to measure quality of life should take into account that satisfaction with living environment may be distinct from satisfaction with other life and health-related aspects of quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many factors of micro and macroeconomic nature affect the level and quality of life of the population,including occupational activity and related remuneration or living conditions. Satisfaction of life isconsidered as the primary indicator of subjective quality of life assessment. The purpose of this paper wasto present the level and quality of women’s life with special attention paid to unemployed women in ruralareas, based on the example of the Siedlce district. Quality of life was assessed on the basis of subjectivefactors. The main research tool was a questionnaire survey which enabled the information on the sociodemographiccharacteristics of the respondents and the analysis of the question. The conducted researchfound that the majority of the surveyed women from the rural areas of the Siedlce county assessed theirstandard of living as average. A large group of women living in rural areas declared their intention toemigrate to the city.

Background. The behaviour of physical education (PE) teachers in managing the lesson is significantly related to their life satisfaction (Bahadir, 2013). PE teachers' self-report of emotional abilities is positively associated with the educational achievements of their students and increasing teachers' self-report of emotional abilities improves the quality of physical education (Buns & Thomas, 2016). High self-report of emotional abilities reduces the impact of work-related stress on teachers, increases their creativity in classroom activities and increases students' satisfaction with physical activities (Huang, Liu, Hsieh, & Chang, 2015). The aim of this study was to evaluate physical education teachers' self-report of emotional abilities and subjective quality of life in comparison with teachers of other subjects, so that in the future more effective measures for improving teachers' self-report of emotional abilities and subjective quality of life could be developed. Methods. To collect data, Schutte SSRI and SF-36 questionnaire survey was applied. Results. We found that, according to some sub-scales, men and women were significantly (p < .05) different in the estimation of their subjective quality of life. Women scored better (higher scores) than men in their physical performance, emotional state, energy/fatigue, and perceived pain. In this study, we revealed significant correlations between social skills and appraisal (r = .305, p < .01), emotional well-being and appraisal (r = .214; p < .05), and energy/fatigue and appraisal (r = .209; p < .05). The data obtained in our study revealed that male and female teachers evaluated their ability to understand and analyze emotions and manage emotions differently (p < .05). Conclusions. Teachers' self-report of emotional abilities differed significantly by appraisal and utilization and by the subject taught, which differed in optimism, appraisal, and utilization. Significant (p < .05) differences in subjective quality of life were found by gender in to physical functioning, emotional well-being, energy/fatigue, and pain. There was no significant difference found in subjective quality of life by the subject taught. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. In our research we were particularly interested in answering the question whether there is a relationship between a person's comfort or well-being in relation with the sporting activity of adolescents. Aim of Study. The aim of the research was to analyse the relationship between physical activity and subjective well-being of university students. Material and Methods. The research was carried out on a group of university students studying at different types of universities. The research group consisted of 150 men and 230 women with an average age of 20.81 years. For data collection we used: questionnaire of emotional habitual subjective well-being and questionnaire of life satisfaction. The data obtained in this way were subjected to statistical analysis of x2 test and Spearman correlation coefficient. Results. We have found that active sports respondents at a nonprofessional level compared to passive athletes are more likely to experience a sense of physical freshness and enjoyment. On the other hand, the non-sportsmen are more likely to experience fear and pain. Our findings clearly confirm the correlation coefficients between active sports and the frequency of positive emotions. On the other hand, we found negative correlations in the relationship between active sports and the experience of negative emotions. In the case of a higher level of sports performance, we found significant negative weak to medium close relationships with the frequency of survival of negative emotions, and significant positive moderate relationships were shown by survival of physical freshness, enjoyment and joy. In the case of relationships between top sports and the emotional component of subjective well-being, we found weak to moderate relationships with the enjoyment, guilt and shame. Sports activity leads to increased life satisfaction, which confirmed number of correlations between active non-professional sports and overall life satisfaction. Conclusions. Our research findings have confirmed that physical activity even if in a minimum rate, increases the subjective well-being of adolescents as well as self-satisfaction and contributes to more frequent positive emotions or increased adolescents' life satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In the assessment of most complex socioeconomic phenomena with the use of multicriteria methods, continuous data are used, the source of which are most often public statistics. However, there are complex phenomena such as quality of life and quality of services in the assessment, for which questionnaire surveys and ordinal measurement scales are used. In this case, the use of classic multicriteria methods is very difficult, taking into account the way of presenting this type of data by official statistics, as well as their permissible transformations and arithmetic operations. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was the presentation of a novel framework which can be applied for assessing socioeconomic phenomena on the basis of survey data. It was assumed that the object assessments may contain positive or negative opinions and an element of uncertainty expressed in the form a “no”, “difficult to say”, or “no opinion” answers. For this reason, the intuitionistic fuzzy TOPSIS (IF-TOPSIS) method is proposed. To demonstrate the potential of this solution, the results of measuring the subjective quality of life of the inhabitants of 83 cities in EU countries, EFTA countries, the UK, the Western Balkans, and Turkey are presented. For most cities, a high level of subjective quality of life was observed using the proposed approach. The highest level of quality of life was observed in Zurich, whereas the lowest was observed in Palermo.

Quality of life (QoL) is often used as an outcome assessment in programs treating patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP). The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal trend of subjective QoL among patients with FEP and identify the potential influence of patients' social-demographic/lifestyle factors on the trend of QoL. Two hundred and eighty subjects participated in the study. Patient's demographics and subjective QoL were collected at baseline, 6 months and 1 year follow-up. Data were analyzed with a fixed-effect general linear regression model. Subjective QoL demonstrated significant trends of improvement in all four subdomains (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment). Compared with unemployed participants, employed participants were significantly associated with better social relationships (p = 0.005) and environment (p = 0.029) after adjusting for age and gender. Moderation analysis demonstrated a significant improvement of physical health, social relationships, and environment for participants with a higher level of educational achievement, but not for participants with a lower level of educational achievement. Our results indicate that patients with FEP experienced significant improvement in subjective QoL over a 1 year period. Being employed was associated with overall better social relationships and environment among patients with FEP and higher educational achievement was associated with improvement of physical health, social relationship, and environment. Hence, educational achievement and employment could be considered for future optimization of early psychosis intervention programs.

Quality of life (QoL) is often used as an outcome assessment in programs treating patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP). The aim of this study was to examine the longitudinal trend of subjective QoL among patients with FEP and identify the potential influence of patients' social-demographic/lifestyle factors on the trend of QoL. Two hundred and eighty subjects participated in the study. Patient's demographics and subjective QoL were collected at baseline, 6 months and 1 year follow-up. Data were analyzed with a fixed-effect general linear regression model. Subjective QoL demonstrated significant trends of improvement in all four subdomains (physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment). Compared with unemployed participants, employed participants were significantly associated with better social relationships (p = 0.005) and environment (p = 0.029) after adjusting for age and gender. Moderation analysis demonstrated a significant improvement of physical health, social relationships, and environment for participants with a higher level of educational achievement, but not for participants with a lower level of educational achievement. Our results indicate that patients with FEP experienced significant improvement in subjective QoL over a 1 year period. Being employed was associated with overall better social relationships and environment among patients with FEP and higher educational achievement was associated with improvement of physical health, social relationship, and environment. Hence, educational achievement and employment could be considered for future optimization of early psychosis intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quality of life is a central aspect of the new conceptualization of intellectual disability. Contrary to prior beliefs, intellectual disability is currently considered the sum of practical, social and conceptual abilities; that is, intelligence as measured by standardized IQ tests is no longer considered the only and most fundamental aspect of this phenomenon. In line with this idea, environmental variables have regained interest as an important feature which researchers should attempt to understand. Thus, it is important to examine which sociodemographic factors are more associated with quality of life in people with intellectual disability. Since such variables imply an important cultural component, it is important that these studies be done in different cultural contexts. However, there is a paucity of research on the topic in Latin America and, specifically, in Peru. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with quality of life in people with intellectual disability from three public institutions of Lima-Peru. The study sample was composed by 115 participants with intellectual disability aged between 15 and 45 years; 39 (37%) were women and 66 (62.9%) were men; 13.3% had non-poor socioeconomic status, 63.8% had a poor status and 22.9% had extreme poor status according to the report of the institutions of origin. The measure used was the Integral Scale of Quality of Life (Verdugo, Arias & Gómez, 2009). This measure is composed of two scales: The Objective scale (filled out by the caregiver), and the Subjective scale (filled out by people with intellectual disabilities themselves). In order to establish the association between sociodemographic variables (age, sex, socioeconomic status, and type of family), correlational analyses were performed using bivariate and regression techniques. The correlation between the Objective and Subjective scales of quality of life was low (r= .252). In the bivariate analysis of the Objective scale, an association was observed between this scale and the variables gender, paid work and socioeconomic status. When these variables were analyzed using multiple regression techniques, both paid work and socioeconomic status were the best predictors of quality of life as measured by the Objective scale. On the other hand, the only significant predictor of the Subjective scale was poverty condition. These results indicate that quality of life of people with intellectual disabilities is affected by different sociodemographic variables, and poverty seems to be the most important. It is also worth highlighting the fact that sex was an important variable associated with quality of life. Consequently, it is recommendable to develop studies of disability with a special emphasis on gender. In addition, it is important to notice that quality of life reported by people with intellectual disability shows only a low association with their caregiver's reports. Therefore, both points of view --those of people with disabilities and of their caregivers-- are needed to obtain comprehensive results. Moreover, sociodemographic factors shared an important amount of variance with objective quality of life (i.e. that reported by the caregiver) but not with subjective quality of life (i.e. that reported by the person with intellectual disability). These findings stress the importance of taking the opinions of people with intellectual disability into consideration, and of identifying other associated factors that constitute better predictors of subjective quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjective quality of life (sQOL) has become an established outcome indicator in psychosis research, but longitudinal studies from developing countries remain scarce. This study aimed to examine sQOL, its short-term course and its predictors among people with early psychosis in central Vietnam. Community-dwelling individuals with early psychosis and their relatives were recruited via public health facilities for a naturalistic 6 month longitudinal study. The WHO Quality of Life-Bref and other standardized assessments were administered to 77 patients at baseline and 56 at follow-up. Average sQOL levels were found to be moderate across all key domains, but individuals who reported good QOL were in the minority. Negative appraisals in the environment domain, particularly in terms of money, were more common than in other QOL areas. Although level of community functioning improved significantly over the 6 month period, mean sQOL scores remained unchanged. Generalized estimating equation models revealed that more social support, being unmarried, and absence of dysphoria and negative symptoms were significantly associated with better sQOL in most domains. In summary, functional improvement may not necessarily result in enhanced sQOL for individuals with early psychosis in this setting. Local socioeconomic factors appeared to be among the most important influences on subjective wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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