Avis, N. E., Smith, K. W., McGraw, S., Smith, R. G., Petronis, V. M., & Carver, C. S. (2005). Assessing quality of life in adult cancer survivors (QLACS). Quality of Life Research, 14, 1007-1023.
This article describes development of a quality of life measure
designed to assess issues relevant to long-term cancer survivors.
In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 58 long-term
cancer survivors to identify domains most relevant to long-term
survivors (> 5 yrs. post diagnosis). Self-report items were
developed from these interviews and administered to a second sample of
242 long-term survivors. Domains and items were selected from the
item pool by a combination of factor analysis and criterion-based item
selection. Five cancer-specific domains were identified
(appearance concerns, financial problems, distress over recurrence,
family-related distress, and benefits of cancer) along with 7 generic
QOL domains (negative feelings, positive feelings, cognitive problems,
sexual problems, physical pain, fatigue, and social avoidance).
Cronbach’s alpha was .72 or greater for each domain. Correlations
between domain scores and criterion measures were .72 or higher in all
but one generic domain (social avoidance), but somewhat lower on
cancer-specific domains. The new multidimensional measure has good
internal consistency and validity and is appropriate for comparisons
between cancer and non-cancer populations, as well as long-term
follow-up of cancer patients.
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