Abstract
Background
Structured assessment of quality of life and mental distress in deaf people is difficult for various reasons. This paper describes the development and reliability of an interactive computer-based assessment package for measuring quality of life and psychological distress in the deaf population.
Methods
The Brief version of the WHO Quality of Life (WHOQOL) Questionnaire, the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) and the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) had been translated into sign-language and videotaped. A total of 236 members of the deaf community in Upper Austria participated by responding to a programme consisting of self-administered written and videotaped test-items presented to them on a notebook computer. The reliability of the various assessments was established on this large community sample.
Results
When reliability of the versions for the deaf was compared with that of written versions of the same measures in general population samples, it was found to be somewhat lower, although still in an acceptable range, for the WHO-QOL and the GHQ-12. For the BSI, the reliability was even higher than that of the general population.
Conclusions
For deaf individuals whose preferred communication is sign language, quality of life and mental distress can be effectively and reliably assessed with the use of carefully translated and adapted common instruments.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Angermeyer MC, Kilian R, Matschinger H (2000) WHOQOL-100 und WHOQOL-BREF. Handbuch für die deutschsprachige Version der WHO Instrumente zur Erfassung der Lebensqualität. Göttingen
Derogatis LR, Spencer PM (1982) Brief symptom inventory: Administration, scoring and procedures manual I. Baltimore
Franke HG (2000) BSI-Brief Symptom Inventory von Derogatis LR (Kurzform der SCL-90-R)-Deutsche Version. Manual, Beltz Test GmbH, Göttingen
Gelter I (1987) Wortschatz und Lesefähigkeit gehörloser Schüler. Der Sprachheilpädagoge 3:37–42
Goldberg DP, Williams PA (1988) User’s Guide to the GHQ. Windsor. NFER Nelson
Holt JA (1994) Stanford Achievement Test, 8th ed: reading comprehension subgroup results. Am Ann Deaf 138:172–175
Katschnig H, Ladinser E, Scherer M, Sonneck G, Wancata J (2001) Österreichischer Psychiatriebericht 2001: Teil 1, Daten zur psychiatrischen und psychosozialen Versorgung der österreichischen Bevölkerung. Bundesministerium für soziale Sicherheit und Generationen, Wien
Linden M, Maier W, Achberger M, Herr R, Helmchen H, Benkert O (1996) Psychische Erkrankungen und ihre Behandlung in Allgemeinpraxen in Deutschland. Nervenarzt 67:205–215
Lipton DS, Goldstein MF, Fahnbulleh FW, Gertz EN (1997) The interactive video questionnaire. A new technology for interviewing deaf persons. Am Ann Deaf 141(5):370–378
Schein JD (1979) Multiply handicapped hearing impaired children. In: Bradford LJ, Hardy WG (eds) Hearing and hearing impairment. New York: Grune and Stratton
Schmitz N, Kruse J, Tress W (1999) Psychometric properties of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in a German primary care sample. Acta Psychiatr Scand 100(6) :462–468
Steinberg AG, Lipton DS, Eckhardt EH, Goldstein M, Sullivan JV (1998) The diagnostic interview schedule for deaf patients on interactive video: preliminary investigation. Am J Psychiatry 155(11):1603–1604
The WHOQOL Group (1998) Devolopment of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. Psychol Med 28:551–558
Üstun TB, Satorius N (1995) Mental Illness in General Health Care. An international Study. Chichester: John Wiley
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Fellinger, J., Holzinger, D., Dobner, U. et al. An innovative and reliable way of measuring health-related quality of life and mental distress in the deaf community. Soc Psychiat Epidemiol 40, 245–250 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0862-9
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-005-0862-9