Validation of the WHOQOL-BREF quality of life questionnaire for general use in New Zealand: confirmatory factor analysis and Rasch analysis

Abstract

Purpose

The present study validated the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire
for general use in New Zealand.

Methods

A random postal sample from the national electoral roll was used, and 808 questionnaires were returned. Psychometric properties
of the instrument were assessed, including tests of the four-domain factor structure using confirmatory factor analysis and
Rasch analysis.

Results

Goodness-of-fit from the confirmatory factor analysis were good, and the overall conclusion of the Rasch analysis supported
the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) findings after dealing with problems of threshold ordering, local dependency, and differential
item functioning (DIF).

Conclusions

The WHOQOL-BREF is valid for general use in New Zealand. In the future work, the WHOQOL-BREF domain scores should either be
analyzed using non-parametric statistics or data should be fitted to the Rasch model to derive interval person estimates.

Content Type Journal Article
Category Brief Communication
Pages 1-7
DOI 10.1007/s11136-012-0265-9
Authors
- Christian U. Krägeloh, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, North Shore Campus, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142 New Zealand
- Paula Kersten, Person Centred Research Centre, School of Rehabilitation and Occupation Studies, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142 New Zealand
- D. Rex Billington, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, North Shore Campus, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142 New Zealand
- Patricia Hsien-Chuan Hsu, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, North Shore Campus, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142 New Zealand
- Daniel Shepherd, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, North Shore Campus, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142 New Zealand
- Jason Landon, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, North Shore Campus, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142 New Zealand
- Xuan Joanna Feng, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, North Shore Campus, Private Bag 92006, Auckland, 1142 New Zealand

Journal Quality of Life Research
Online ISSN 1573-2649
Print ISSN 0962-9343