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Issues in cross-cultural quality-of-life research
I B Corless1, P K Nicholas, K M Nokes
1MGH Institute of Health Professions, 101 Merrimac St. 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02114, USA. icorless@partners.org
Purpose:
To examine cross-cultural measurement of quality of life (QOL) and issues to consider in adapting quality-of-life instruments.
Organizing Construct:
Health-related quality of life.
Methods:
Review of the literature on cross-cultural QOL using the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), 1982 to February 2000, and Medline, 1966 to May 2000, databases.
Findings:
Use of research instruments beyond the samples with which they were initially tested, particularly if the new samples are cross-cultural, presents considerable challenges. The findings indicate consideration of these problems: phenomenon of interest, cross-cultural versus cross-national, salience, conceptual equivalence, cultural hegemony versus cultural validity, cultural equivalence versus verbal equivalence, fidelity versus appropriateness, privacy versus disclosure, appropriateness of format, and resource utilization for translation. Although the literature indicates increased discussion of theoretical, conceptual, and operational approaches to measuring cross-cultural QOL, problems continue in adapting instruments from one culture to another.
Conclusions:
Many issues about cross-cultural QOL were identified. By addressing these issues, researchers can develop appropriately translated and validated quality-of-life instruments to advance knowledge about cross-cultural QOL.