Cross-national comparability of the WHOQOL-BREF: A measurement invariance approach

P. Theuns; J. Hofmans; M. Mazaheri; F. Van Acker; J.L. Bernheim

doi:10.1007/s11136-009-9577-9

Cross-national comparability of the WHOQOL-BREF: A measurement invariance approach

P. Theuns^*
, J. Hofmans^*
, M. Mazaheri
, F. Van Acker
, J.L. Bernheim

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Academic › peer-review

12 Citations (Web of Science)

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate whether the WHOQOL-BREF measures the QOL construct in the same way across nations.
Methods: Students from Flanders, Belgium and Iran completed the WHOQOL-BREF as part of a larger Quality of Life questionnaire. Their responses were compared using a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis.
Results: In general, the QOL construct appears rather similar in both cultures; however, participants from both countries seem to respond differently to particular items of the WHOQOL-BREF. Especially for the physical and psychological domain, this is problematic, because none of their indicators works in the same way across samples.
Conclusions: Notwithstanding some limitations of this study, it must be concluded that the WHOQOL-BREF should only be used with great caution in cross-national comparisons.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	219-224
Number of pages	6
Journal	Quality of Life Research
Volume	19
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/s11136-009-9577-9
Publication status	Published - Mar 2010

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title = "Cross-national comparability of the WHOQOL-BREF: A measurement invariance approach",

abstract = "Purpose: To evaluate whether the WHOQOL-BREF measures the QOL construct in the same way across nations. Methods: Students from Flanders, Belgium and Iran completed the WHOQOL-BREF as part of a larger Quality of Life questionnaire. Their responses were compared using a multi-group confirmatory factor analysis. Results: In general, the QOL construct appears rather similar in both cultures; however, participants from both countries seem to respond differently to particular items of the WHOQOL-BREF. Especially for the physical and psychological domain, this is problematic, because none of their indicators works in the same way across samples. Conclusions: Notwithstanding some limitations of this study, it must be concluded that the WHOQOL-BREF should only be used with great caution in cross-national comparisons.",

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AU - Theuns, P.

AU - Hofmans, J.

AU - Mazaheri, M.

AU - Van Acker, F.

AU - Bernheim, J.L.

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JO - Quality of Life Research

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Cross-national comparability of the WHOQOL-BREF: A measurement invariance approach

Abstract

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