title: Introducing the WHOQOL-SRPB BREF: developing a short-form instrument for assessing spiritual, religious and personal beliefs within quality of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim was to develop and conduct preliminary testing of a short-form measure to assess spiritual, religious and personal beliefs (SRPB) within quality of life (QoL).
  
  
  METHODS
  Existing data from the 132 items of the WHOQOL-SRPB (n = 5087) obtained in 18 cultures were first analysed to select the 'best' performing item from each of the eight SRPB facets. These were integrated with the 26 WHOQOL-BREF items to give 34 items in the WHOQOL-SRPB BREF. A focus group of hospital chaplains reviewed this new short-form. The WHOQOL-SRPB BREF was administered to a UK community sample (n = 230) either with an adapted WHOQOL-SRPB Importance measure or the SWBQ. A subset received both WHOQOL measures twice.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Completed in 8 mins, the WHOQOL-SRPB BREF was acceptable and feasible; Importance 5.5 mins. Good internal consistency reliability was found overall (α = 0.85), for the SRPB domain (α = 0.83), and Importance (α = 0.90). Domains were moderately correlated. Domain test-retest reliability was acceptable in both WHOQOL measures, except for SRPB Importance. Sleep was linked with religious beliefs. Hope and wholeness were widely associated with non-spiritual facets. Factor analysis (maximum likelihood) of items largely confirmed the WHOQOL domain structure, adding SRPB as a significant fifth domain. Internally, SRPB distinguished religious from existential beliefs, and was validated by association with personal and transcendental well-being from the SWBQ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Preliminary evidence shows that the WHOQOL-SRPB BREF is sound for use in, and beyond health care. Extracted from a measure already available in 18 languages, this short-form can be immediately used where such translations exist.
authors: WHO Centre for Study of Quality of Life, Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Claverton Down, Bath, BA2 7AY, UK. S.M.Skevington@bath.ac.uk
authors: Suzanne M
authors: SM
authors: Skevington
authors: Keely Sarah
authors: KS
authors: Gunson
authors: Kathryn Ann
authors: KA
authors: O'Connell
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012067:Religion; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012944:Social Support; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014177:Translations; D006113:United Kingdom; D014944:World Health Organization; D055815:Young Adult