Psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-BREF in a population of older adults in prison: measuring quality of life in a carceral setting

• Date: 25 July 2023
• Pages: 668-681
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-07-2022-0042
• Published date: 25 July 2023
• Subject Matter: Health & social care,Criminology & forensic psychology,Prisoner health,Sociology,Sociology of crime & law,Public policy & environmental management,Policing,Criminal justice
• Author: Adrian J. Archuleta,Stephanie Grace Prost,Seana Golder

Psychometric properties of the

WHOQOL-BREF in a population of older

adults in prison: measuring quality of life in

a carceral setting

Adrian J. Archuleta, Stephanie Grace Prost and Seana Golder

Abstract

Purpose –Valid and reliable measurement is critical to the assessment and evaluation of health

interventions. However, few scholars have examine d the psychometric properties of ‘‘gold

standard’’ measures in carceral settings, and no res earch has explored the reliability, validity and

factor structure of the 26-item World Health Organization Qua lity of Life (WHOQOL) BREF among

older adults incarcerated in prison, a large and growing populationmarked by substantial chronic

and life-limiting illness. This study aims to examine the reliability,validity and factor structure of the

WHOQOL-BREF.

Design/methodology/approach –Secondarydata from a large-scale study with older adults (age45þ)

incarceratedin a Midwestern state were used (N¼499).Floor and ceiling effects were examined, as was

the reliabilityof the measure (Cronbach’s alpha). The structuralvalidity of a four-factor and second-order

four-factormodel of the WHOQOL-BREF was examined using confirmatoryfactor analysis. Model data fit

was examinedusing chi-square, standardized rootmean square residual, comparative fit indices,Akaike

information criterion and the Bayesian Information Criterion. Pearson product-moment correlation

coefficientswere also used to assess validity.

Findings –Results indicateadequate construct validity and reliabilityfor the WHOQOL-BREF using the

current sample. Model-data fit indexes also reveal adequate structure of the measure relative to other

older adult samples. Non-randomdata and item exclusion are noteworthy limits, and future researchers

are encouraged to co-conceptualize and operationalize life quality with older adults who are

incarcerated.

Originality/value –To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to explore the

psychometricproperties of the WHOQOL-BREFamong older adults incarceratedin prison.

Keywords Conf‌irmatory factor analysis, Quality of life, Older adults, WHOQOL-BREF,

Measures of health, US state prisons

Paper type Research paper

The expansion of medical technology and intervention has extended life expectancy

(Lee, 2019). However, increasing life expectancy has not always improved a

person’s quality of life (Karimi and Brazier, 2016). Quality of life, particularly among

adults 65years or older, has been a global concern and focus of health research (Lin et al.,

2016). According to the World Health Organization (WHO), quality of life (QoL) is definedas

a person’s perception of life relative to their goals, expectations and standards in the

context of their culture and value systems in which they live (WHO, 2012). The disconnect

between disease reductionand improved QoL has prompted health providers and planners

to measure subjective and objective health experiences to create a more holistic portrait of

life quality (Karimi and Brazier, 2016).

Adrian J. Archuleta,

Stephanie Grace Prost and

Seana Golder all are based

at the Kent School of Social

Work and Family Science,

University of Louisville,

Louisville, Kentucky, USA.

Received 7 July 2022

Revised 26 May 2023

9 July 2023

Accepted 9 July 2023

The authors acknowledge the

Kentucky Department of

Corrections’(KYDOC)

participation in this project.

However, findings from the

study are neither approved nor

endorsed by the KYDOC.

PAGE 668 jINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRISONER HEALTH jVOL. 19 NO. 4 2023,pp. 668-681, ©EmeraldPublishing Limited, ISSN 1744-9200 DOI 10.1108/IJPH-07-2022-0042