Psychometric evaluation of an instrument for assessing policy outcomes for families with children who have severe developmental disabilities: The Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

3018.0: Monday, November 05, 2007 - 9:15 AM

Abstract #160435

Joni Taylor McFelea, PT, MS, PhD¹, Stacey Plichta, ScD², Clare Houseman, PhD², George Maihafer, PT, PhD³, and Sharon Raver-Lampman, PhD⁴. (1) Old Dominion University, PO BOX 65471, Hampton, VA 23665, (2) School of Community and Environmental Health, Old Dominion University, Health Sciences Building, Norfolk, VA 23529, 757-683-4989, splichta@odu.edu, (3) School of Physical Therapy, Old Dominion University, Health Sciences Building, Norfolk, VA 23529, (4) Department of Early Childhood, Speech-Language Pathology, and Special Education, Old Dominion University, Child Study Center, Norfolk, VA 23529

The quality of life of families with children who have disabilities is a practical gauge of policy outcomes. Despite this fact, current public disability policy has developed largely in the absence of evidence-based research on the quality of life of the families it affects. The study sought to determine whether or not the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale (BCFQLS) could be used as a reliable and valid measure of the quality of life of families with children who have severe developmental disabilities. It also examined the extent to which it could be used in two different family groups: those whose child lives in the family home and those whose child lives outside the family home. Self-identified primary caregivers of 54 families (RR: 48.6%) provided qualitative and quantitative data through mailed and telephone surveys. The BCFQLS was found to be a fairly reliable and valid instrument for measuring the quality of life of individual families with children who have severe developmental disabilities and reside either in or outside the family home. The ability of the BCFQLS to differentiate between the quality of life of the two family groups, however, was found to be less than ideal. Suggestions for scale improvement and future research are offered.

Learning Objectives:

1.Articulate key domains of the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale.
2.Describe the psychometric properties of the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale.
3.Discuss the appropriate use of the Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale with families with children who have severe developmental disabilities.

Keywords: Children With Special Needs, Policy/Policy Development

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Improving Outcomes for Vulnerable Children

The 135th APHA Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 3-7, 2007) of APHA