| Abstract: |
(from the chapter) Quality-of-life (QOL) assessment has come to play an increasingly important role in clinical decision making and treatment research. What frames of reference do individuals use when asked to appraise their QOL? What factors influence different individuals' perspectives on QOL? How does an individual's frame of reference change over time? In this chapter, the author shows how assessments of change in personal goals can be helpful for addressing these questions because they provide information about individuals' shifting frames of reference. The author suggests that assessment of personal goals can help us appreciate more fully how illness and treatment affect QOL and explain some of the inconsistent findings common in the literature. The author also explains how the impact of life events on QOL may be subject to response shifts associated with changes in personal goals, by drawing on the results of a longitudinal study of 140 people living with AIDS. The majority of participants in this study were males (87.2%) ranging in age from 24 to 66 yrs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved). |
