Family Quality of Life Scale (FQOL)

Abstract

The Family Quality of Life Scale (FQOL) is a widely recognized psychometric instrument designed to measure the perceived satisfaction of family members across various domains of their lives. Developed primarily by researchers at the Beach Center on Disabilities, the scale focuses particularly on families that include individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The FQOL assesses the extent to which a family’s needs are met, whether they enjoy life together, and if they have the necessary resources and support systems to accomplish their goals. It is structured around five core domains, providing a multidimensional view of Family Quality of Life (FQOL) that is crucial for evaluating the effectiveness of support services and policy interventions.

Keywords

Family Quality of Life, FQOL, Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disability, Psychometric Scale, Family Interaction, Parenting, Emotional Well-being, Service Delivery Outcomes, Satisfaction.

Authors

Ann Turnbull, Lise Hoffman, Jihyun Park, Donna Poston, Jan S. Marquis, H. Mannan, M. Wang, J. A. Summers, L. Nelson.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Family Quality of Life Scale (FQOL) is to systematically assess and quantify the subjective perception of quality of life among family units. It serves as a vital tool for researchers, clinicians, and service providers to gauge the impact of having a family member with a disability on overall family functioning and satisfaction. By providing scores across multiple dimensions, the FQOL helps identify specific areas where families are thriving and areas where additional support or resources are critically needed. This assessment is foundational for developing person-centered and family-centered support plans.

Furthermore, the FQOL is frequently utilized as an outcome measure in longitudinal studies and program evaluations. It provides concrete, standardized data on the efficacy of service delivery models aimed at improving family outcomes, particularly within the field of disability services. The scale moves beyond focusing solely on the individual with the disability to encompass the collective well-being and satisfaction of the entire family system.

Construct

The FQOL measures the psychological construct of Family Quality of Life, which is defined as a dynamic, subjective sense of well-being derived from the family’s satisfaction with its life circumstances, resources, and supports. The FQOL is inherently multidimensional, reflecting the complexity of family life. Through rigorous factor analysis, the scale is partitioned into five distinct, yet interconnected, domains that represent the major areas of family life satisfaction.

These five domains ensure comprehensive coverage of the construct, ranging from internal family dynamics to external supports and resource acquisition. The domains are assessed by asking respondents to rate their level of satisfaction using a 4-point Likert scale, typically ranging from Very Dissatisfied to Very Satisfied. The high level of specificity across these dimensions allows for nuanced interpretation of family strengths and challenges.

Validity

The validity of the FQOL scale has been extensively documented in academic literature, particularly through studies conducted by Park et al. (2003) and Hoffman et al. (2006). These studies confirmed the scale’s strong construct validity, demonstrating that the items accurately measure the hypothesized underlying theoretical dimensions of Family Quality of Life.

Specifically, **construct validity** was supported through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), which verified that the five-factor model provided a good fit for the data collected from diverse family populations. Additionally, the scale exhibits **criterion validity** by showing expected correlations with other established measures of family functioning and well-being, confirming its utility as a reliable indicator of family outcomes in service delivery settings.

Reliability

The FQOL scale demonstrates high levels of internal consistency, which is a key measure of reliability. Psychometric evaluations, such as those detailed by Hoffman et al. (2006), reported consistently high Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the overall scale and for each of the five subscales.

These high coefficients indicate that the items within each domain are highly correlated and reliably measure the specific domain they are intended to assess (e.g., items related to Emotional Well-being cluster together consistently). The demonstrated reliability ensures that the FQOL provides stable and repeatable measurements of satisfaction across different administrations and populations of families supporting individuals with developmental disability.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the Family Quality of Life Scale is determined by a comprehensive **factor analysis** approach. Initial qualitative inquiries (Poston et al., 2003) informed the item development, leading to subsequent quantitative validation using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) (Park et al., 2003; Hoffman et al., 2006).

The CFA results established and supported a robust five-factor structure, confirming the distinct nature of the following domains:

• Family Interaction
• Parenting
• Emotional Well-being
• Physical / Material Well-being
• Disability-Related Support

This confirmed factor structure is critical as it allows researchers and practitioners to analyze family satisfaction not just as a single score, but as profiles of satisfaction across these five essential dimensions.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Survey Instrument / Quantitative Satisfaction Scale

Format: 25 items rated on a 4-point psychometric scale (Very Dissatisfied, Dissatisfied, Neither Satisfied, Very Satisfied).

Language Available: English (Primary validation language). Translations may exist but are not specified in the primary source documents.

Population Group: Family members, typically parents or primary caregivers.

Age Group: Adults (those completing the survey).

Population Details: Specifically targeted toward families who have a child or adult family member with an intellectual or developmental disability, though applicable to broader populations.

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of satisfaction regarding various aspects of their family life corresponding to the five established domains.

Keywords

FQOL, Beach Center, Family Satisfaction, Outcome Measurement, Service Evaluation, Disability Support, Internal Consistency, Construct Validity, CFA.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Beach Center on Disability. The University of Kansas. 1200 Sunnyside Avenue, 3136 Haworth Hall. Lawrence, Kansas 66045. Telephone: 785.864.7600 TTY: 785.864.3434.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Family Quality of Life Scale was developed by the Beach Center on Disabilities, associated with the University of Kansas. The scale was formally validated and published in its current form around 2006, following earlier foundational research in 2003. The scale is often utilized freely for research and non-commercial purposes, though specific usage permissions should be verified directly with the Beach Center on Disabilities.

The original PDF of the instrument can be downloaded here: http://www.midss.org/sites/default/files/fqol_survey.pdf

Reference’s

1. Poston, D., Turnbull, A., Park, J., Mannan, H., Marquis, J., & Wang, M. (2003). Family quality of life outcomes: A qualitative inquiry launching a long-term research program. Mental Retardation, 41(5), 313-328.
2. Park, J., Hoffman, L., Marquis, J., Turnbull, A.P., Poston, D., Mannan, H., Wang, M., & Nelson, L. (2003). Toward assessing family outcomes of service delivery: Validation of a family quality of life survey. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 47(4/5), 367-384.
3. Hoffman, L., Marquis, J., Poston, D., Summers, J. A., & Turnbull, A. (2006). Assessing family outcomes: Psychometric evaluation of the beach center family quality of life scale. Journal of Marriage and Family, 68(4), 1069-1083.
4. Beach Center on Disabilities. (2006). Family Quality of Life Scale. Beach Center on Disabilities, Lawrence, KS, USA.
5. Hu, X., Summers, J. A., Turnbull, A., & Zuna, N. (2011). The quantitative measurement of family quality of life: A review of available instruments. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 55, 1098-1114.
6. Samuel, P. S., Rillotta, F. & Brown, I. (2012). The development of family quality of life concepts and measures. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 56; 1–16.

Items of the Family Quality of Life Scale (FQOL)

How satisfied am I that…

1. My family enjoys spending time together.
2. My family members help the children learn to be independent.
3. My family has the support we need to relieve stress.
4. My family members have friends or others who provide support.
5. My family members help the children with schoolwork and activities.
6. My family members have transportation to get to the places they need to be.
7. My family members talk openly with each other.
8. My family members teach the children how to get along with others.
9. My family members have some time to pursue our own interests.
10. Our family solves problems together.
11. My family members support each other to accomplish goals.
12. My family members show that they love and care for each other.
13. My family has outside help available to us to take care of special needs of all family members.
14. Adults in our family teach the children to make good decisions.
15. My family gets medical care when needed.
16. My family has a way to take care of our expenses.
17. Adults in my family know other people in the children’s lives (friends, teachers, etc.).
18. My family is able to handle life’s ups and downs.
19. Adults in my family have time to take care of the individual needs of every child.
20. My family gets dental care when needed.
21. My family feels safe at home, work, school, and in our neighborhood.
22. My family member with a disability has support to accomplish goals at school or at workplace.
23. My family member with a disability has support to accomplish goals at home.
24. My family member with a disability has support to make friends.
25. My family has good relationships with the service providers who provide services and support to our family member with a disability.

Response Options: Very Dissatisfied, Dissatisfied, Neither Satisfied, Very Satisfied

Subscales/Domains:

• Family Interaction: items 1, 7, 10, 11, 12, and 18
• Parenting: items 2, 5, 8, 14, 17, and 19
• Emotional Well-being: items 3, 4, 9, and 13
• Physical / Material Well-being: items 6, 15, 16, 20, and 21
• Disability-Related Support: items 22, 23, 24, and 25