title: Religion, spirituality, social support and quality of life: measurement and predictors CASP-12(v2) amongst older Ethiopians living in Addis Ababa.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  As African populations begin to age developing accurate measures of quality of life (QoL) in later life for use on the continent is becoming imperative. This study evaluates the measurement and predictors of QoL amongst older Ethiopians.
  
  
  METHODS
  The data come from a multi-stage cluster sample of 214 people aged 55 and over living in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. QoL was measured using the CASP-12(v2). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the properties of the scale. The relationships between social support, religiosity/spirituality and socio-demographic factors on QoL were tested with linear regression analyses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The CASP subscales exhibited good internal reliability and the CFA provides reasonable support for an 11-item 4-factor model (CFI, 0.954; RMSEA 0.075). Multivariate regression analyses suggest that both religiousness/spirituality and social support have positive relationships with QoL.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Older people in Africa can often be socially isolated, marginalised and in extreme poverty. Yet few studies have looked at QoL more generally and there is no accepted gold standard measurement of QoL. Yet such a development would allow researchers to directly compare QoL and the determinants of QoL amongst older Africans and those elsewhere. The results show that a modified 11-item CASP is a meaningful measure of QoL for use with older Ethiopians. Both religiousness/spirituality and social support are positively associated with QoL and might be important buffers against deprivation.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Sociology , Stockholm University , Stockholm , Sweden.
authors.forename: Kidist
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamren
authors.forename: Holendro Singh
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Chungkham
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hyde
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005002:Ethiopia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation*; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012934:Social Isolation; D012944:Social Support; D029181:Spirituality; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D014505:Urban Population / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: quality of life/well-being; religion/spirituality; social support