Measuring subjective quality of life in people with serious mental illness using the SEIqoL-DW

In response to suggestions that available measures may not adequately reflect the idiosyncratic nature of subjective quality of life, the schedule for the evaluation of individual quality of life (SEIQoL) was developed to allow individuals first to select and define their own dimensions of quality of life, and then to assign a relative weight to each of the dimensions they have chosen. A simplified version of the instrument, the SEIQoL-direct weighting (SEIQoL-DW), can be used to elicit similar information from subjects with impaired cognitive functioning. The present study explored the feasibility of using this technique with a sample of 35 clients with serious mental illness served by assertive community treatment (ACT) teams. The SEIQoL-DW was well accepted by the study cohort. The SEIQoL-DW's global index was correlated with the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS), and with the quality of life inventory (QOLI). The SEIQoL-DW may have potential as a clinical planning tool that allows respondents to define personally relevant quality of life dimensions upon which attainable goals can be based.