Assessment of the psychometric performance of the WHOQOL-BREF instrument in a sample of Brazilian older adults.
BACKGROUND
There has been increasing interest in the measurement of quality of life in cross-sectional investigations and in the assessment of intervention outcomes in elderly adults. Several instruments used in this measurement have not yet been adequately tested.


OBJECTIVE
To describe the psychometric properties of the World Health Organization's Quality of Life Instrument-Short Version (WHOQOL-BREF) in a sample of Brazilian elderly.


METHODS
A total of 424 elderly adults selected through convenience sampling completed the instruments WHOQOL-BREF, the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) and a sociodemographic data form. Discriminant validity, concurrent validity, criterion validity and internal consistency were analyzed.


RESULTS
The sample comprised predominantly women (64.2%), community-dwelling subjects (84.4%) and subjects who consider themselves healthy (67.5%). All domains in the instrument showed the ability to discriminate levels of depressive symptoms and hopelessness, as well as different perceptions of health status. The correlation coefficients among the domains and the BDI and BHS scores were statistically significant. The reliability coefficients present scores ranging from 0.614 to 0.925.


CONCLUSIONS
The WHOQOL-BREF instrument shows suitable psychometric performance in a sample of Brazilian older adults, becoming a useful alternative in the measurement of quality of life in this population.
Chachamovich
Eduardo
E
Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Brazil. echacha.ez@terra.com.br
Trentini
Clarissa
C
Fleck
Marcelo P
MP
D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014944:World Health Organization