Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation
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Although a large body of work indicates that fibromyalgia (FM) is not a discrete entity, few studies have attempted to classify the heterogeneity of FM symptoms. The objectives of the present study were to confirm the existence of two latent dimensions underlying FM symptoms (Core-FM symptoms and Distress) by means of factor analysis techniques, and to develop and validate a new combined index of symptom severity (the CODI). ⋯ The clinical implications and utility of the CODI are discussed in relation to previous research on FM.
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To measure the impact of spinal disorders on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Veterans, to describe demographic patterns of Veterans with spinal disorders, and to quantify HRQOL scores as they relate to demographics, medical comorbidities, pain severity, and depressive symptoms. ⋯ Spinal disorders have a severe impact on both physical and emotional HRQOL of Veterans and are associated with severe disability and an unusually high prevalence of depressive symptoms. Therapeutic interventions should be targeted to reduce pain, which is a prime determinant of HRQOL, disability, and depressive symptoms. Given high prevalence of multiple risk factors for poor outcomes, studies of spine surgery outcomes in Veterans are needed.
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Multicenter Study
Changes in life satisfaction in persons with spinal cord injury during and after inpatient rehabilitation: adaptation or measurement bias?
To analyze changes in life satisfaction (LS) scores over time in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to interpret what these changes mean. ⋯ Diverging patterns of change were found and that were interpreted as adaptation or scale recalibration. Recalibration could also be considered healthy rebalancing after SCI. Being able to compare different LS ratings can facilitate the interpretation of change in and stability of LS.
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To validate a disease-specific scale to measure the impact of symptoms of bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis (BPS/IC), a condition that affects up to 6.5% of U.S. women. ⋯ The RICE BSI-6 shows excellent internal consistency and strong convergent validity. It can be used to examine the effects of psychosocial and treatment interventions on QoL among women with BPS/IC.
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Role functioning (RF) is a key component of health and well-being and an important outcome in health research. The aim of this study was to develop an item bank to measure impact of health on role functioning. ⋯ An item bank assessing health impact on RF across three content areas has been successfully developed. The bank can be used for development of short forms or computerized adaptive tests to be applied in the assessment of role functioning as one of the common denominators across applications of generic health assessment.