Quality of life and social integration of psychiatrically disabled citizens in community residences.
Creators: name: Ely, Peter W.
Publisher: name: Université d'Ottawa / University of Ottawa
Year: 1991
Subjects: subject: Psychology, Social.

description: As part of a study sponsored by the Quebec government this investigation evaluated the subjective quality of life (QOL) and social integration (SI) of 70 deinstitutionalized chronic psychiatrically disabled citizens living in community residences in the Outaouais region. An extant QOL interview (Lehman 1988) was translated into French and modified to include social integration data. The revised quality of life and social integration (QOLSI) instrument was based on a conceptual model derived from subjective quality of life, person-environment (P-E) congruence, social integration, and normalization/social role valorization theoretical perspectives. Individual interviews were conducted with 37 male and 33 female residents of community housing. Data were gathered on demographics, objective quality of life indicators, global subjective quality of life measures, domain-specific subjective quality of life and personal preference indicators in ten life domains, client satisfaction with services, self-esteem, level of client activity inside and outside the residential placement, and frequency of activities with socially valued others. Respondents were interviewed in a variety of settings, including family-care homes (n = 55), group homes (n = 10), sheltered apartments (n = 4), and an apartment hotel (n = 1). Urban residential services were located in Aylmer, Gatineau, and Hull. Rural residential services were located in the western Quebec region. Housing services were evaluated using the French-language version of PASSING-Program analysis of service systems' implementation of normalization goals (Wofensberger, and Thomas, 1989). The QOLSI interview data were analyzed according to the multivariate relationships in the Comprehensive conceptual (QOLSI) model. The findings indicate that the translated and modified interview replicated earlier findings with the English-language version. The Echelle de Satisaction de Vie (ESV) was found to be as good an indicator of global subjective QOL as the Item du Bien-etre Global (IBG), while offering the advantage of superior psychometric qualities. The best predictor of global subjective QOL was satisfaction in life domains. Personal preferences improved the prediction of domain-specific satisfactions in six of eight life domains. Preferences and social integration (SI) did not add significantly to the prediction of global subjective QOL. Global subjective QOL and SI were not related. Frequency of activity outside of the residential service (i.e., weak social integration) was best predicted by a combination of variable sets including: personal characteristics, OQL indicators, SQL measures, and preferences. Frequency of activities with socially valued others (i.e., strong social integration) was best predicted by age, health, and satisfaction with family contacts. Location and size of residence were negatively related to service quality as measured by PASSING. The findings generally supported the proposed QOLSI model. Preference measures and the SI scales are argued to offer guidelines for the efficient allocation of service resources toward program interventions that favour improved SQL and SI for the psychiatrically disabled residents of community residences. However, further research on these newly developed measures in relation to SQL and SI is recommended before they are adopted by program planners.