title: Measuring the quality of life of women with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus: a Swedish version of the Quality of Life Scale (QOLS).
abstract: The Quality of Life Scale (QOLS) was translated into Swedish and reliability and validity was studied. The Swedish version (QOLS-S) was given to 100 women with rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus erythematosus along with the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales and a visual analog pain scale. Disease activity was also measured using the Ritchie Articular Index and a patient version of the Systemic Lupus Activity Measure. Results indicated that the QOLS-S had high test-retest reliability (r = .84 for a 4-week interval) and internal consistency reliability (alpha = .82 at Time 1 and .88 at Time 2). An hypothesis that the QOLS-S would have low to moderate correlations with measures of health status and disease activity was supported. We conclude that the QOLS-S is a reliable and valid measure of quality of life in Swedish women with RA and SLE and that it provides a measure of quality of life that is distinct from health status and disease activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rheumatology, Sahlgren University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Burckhardt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Archenholtz
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bjelle
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life