Validation of a new patient-generated questionnaire for quality of life in an urban sample of elder residents

To provide evidence for the validity of the Fragebogen zur Lebensqualität multimorbider älterer Menschen (FLQM; English: Quality of life in elders with multimorbidity), a new tool for the assessment of life-satisfaction as a subjective indicator of quality of life in old age.

The FLQM measures overall life-satisfaction based on those self-generated domains in life that are most important to the respondent.
Construct validity (correlations with convergent and divergent scales) and differential validity (subgroup differences with
respect to age and limitations in everyday functioning) were analyzed in an urban sample of older adults (n = 299; 54.6% male; Mean (age) = 75.65 years, SD = 6.57).

Correlations of FLQM with measures of similar constructs were close (r = 0.35–0.50; p < 0.001). There were no age-group differences. However, subjects with self-reported impairment in functioning scored significantly
lower on the FLQM. Also, the relationship between FLQM and self-rated health was close (r = 0.44; p < 0.001).

The FLQM is a valid assessment of older peoples’ life-satisfaction. The focus on domains of utmost individual importance seems
to link the FLQM to self-rated health more closely than other ratings of global life-satisfaction. Further investigation into
the qualitative information obtained by the FLQM is desirable in order to explain individual compositions of life-satisfaction
and overall quality of life.