Abstract
Previous studies have questioned the reliability of Quality of Life Questionnaire (QOL-Q) Empowerment scores, and reported marked disagreement between consumers' self-reports and proxy data from staff informants. The present study examined agreement between consumer self-reports and proxy responses from community living staff for 63 adults with intellectual disability. Substantial positive correlations between consumers and staff were evident. No significant difference was found between total QOL-Q Empowerment scores for self- or staff reports. It was concluded that the QOL-Q Empowerment factor is sufficiently reliable for use both by self-report and proxy respondents. Even so, proxy data are not a substitute for consumer self-reports and the two data sources should not be treated as being interchangeable.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 185-193 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Journal of Intellectual Disability Research |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1999 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Choice
- Empowerment
- Proxy respondents
- Quality of life
- Self-determination
- Self-report data