title: Nursing home resident quality of life: testing for measurement equivalence across resident, family, and staff perspectives.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study explores the factor structure of the interRAI self-report nursing home quality of life survey and develops a measure that will allow researchers to compare predictors of quality of life (QOL) across resident, family, and staff perspectives.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nursing home residents (N = 319), family members (N = 397), and staff (N = 862) were surveyed about their perceptions of resident QOL. Exploratory factor analyses were conducted on a random half of the staff data. Subsequently, confirmatory factor analysis was used to test for measurement equivalence across the three perspectives.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final model had a four-factor structure (i.e., care and support, food, autonomy, and activities) across all three perspectives. Each factor had at least two items that were equivalent across all three perspectives, which suggests at least partial measurement equivalence.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The finding of partial measurement equivalence acknowledges there are important differences between perspectives and provides a tool that researchers can use to compare predictors of QOL, but not levels of agreement across perspectives. Targeting these four aspects is likely to have the additional benefit of improving family and staff perceptions of resident QOL in addition to the resident's own QOL.
authors.affiliation: Nova Scotia Centre on Aging, Mount Saint Vincent University, 166 Bedford Highway, Halifax, NS, B3M 2J6, Canada. Judith.Godin@nshealth.ca.|Geriatric Medicine Research, Nova Scotia Health Authority, 5955 Veteran's Memorial Lane, Halifax, NS, B3H 2E1, Canada. Judith.Godin@nshealth.ca.
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Godin
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Studies and Gerontology, Nova Scotia Centre on Aging, Mount Saint Vincent University, 166 Bedford Highway, Halifax, NS, B3M 2J6, Canada.
authors.forename: Janice
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Keefe
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Saint Mary's University, 923 Robie Street, Halifax, NS, B3H 3C3, Canada.
authors.forename: E Kevin
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Kelloway
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Health Systems, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hirdes
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D010820:Physicians; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Family perceptions; InterRAI; Long-term care; Measurement equivalence; Nursing home residents; Quality of life; Staff perceptions