Wisconsin Family Quality of Life Index (F-QLI) Provider Questionnaire

Abstract

The Wisconsin Family Quality of Life Index (F-QLI) Provider Questionnaire is a specialized instrument developed in 1996 by Marion A. Becker, Bret R. Shaw, and Lisa M. Reib. This tool is designed to assess the quality of life (QoL) experienced by families, particularly those receiving services, through the perspective of the service provider or clinician. It focuses on several critical domains, including socioeconomic factors, psychological well-being, social relations, financial satisfaction, substance use, and goal attainment. Unlike client self-report measures, this questionnaire captures professional observations regarding the family’s stability, functioning, and need for intervention, serving as a crucial component of a broader quality of life assessment framework.

Keywords

Family Quality of Life, F-QLI, Provider Questionnaire, social support, goal attainment, substance use, family assessment, behavioral health, Wisconsin, clinical assessment.

Authors

Marion A. Becker, Bret R. Shaw, Lisa M. Reib

Purpose

The primary purpose of the F-QLI Provider Questionnaire is to gather objective and observational data from professional service providers regarding the quality of life and functional status of client families. This perspective is vital for comprehensive assessment, as it complements the subjective reports provided by the families themselves. The instrument aims to identify areas of significant need, such as housing instability, financial stress, or substance use issues, which may impact the client’s overall care plan and outcomes.

The questionnaire facilitates the measurement of change over time, allowing providers to track progress toward established goals and evaluate the efficacy of interventions. By structuring observations across key life domains, the F-QLI helps standardize the provider’s assessment of the family environment, ensuring a consistent approach to evaluating family risk and resilience factors.

Construct

The central construct measured is Family Quality of Life (F-QLI), viewed through the lens of a service provider. This construct is multifaceted, encompassing objective environmental factors (e.g., housing adequacy, mobility) and subjective functional assessments (e.g., coping mechanisms, quality of family relationships). The scale segments the overall QoL construct into six primary domains for detailed evaluation.

These domains, which collectively define the scope of the family’s well-being as perceived by the provider, include: 1) Activities of daily living/functioning; 2) Psychological well-being and physical health; 3) Social relations and support systems; 4) Financial status/Money; 5) Alcohol and other drug abuse; and 6) Goal attainment and achievement relative to service objectives. The instrument thus provides a holistic framework for understanding complex family dynamics and needs.

Validity

Specific detailed psychometric data regarding construct, criterion, or concurrent validity are not explicitly provided in the available source content. However, as a structured Provider Questionnaire, its inherent face validity stems from its direct alignment with typical casework objectives and social work assessment standards in areas like housing stability, social integration, and substance abuse monitoring. The structure, which mirrors common service delivery domains, suggests practical utility in clinical settings.

Further validation studies would typically be required to confirm how well provider ratings correlate with objective outcomes or with the family’s own self-reported quality of life measures. Users are advised to consult the original authors or associated academic literature for empirical validation data supporting the scale’s use in specific populations.

Reliability

The source documentation does not include specific reliability metrics such as internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha) or test-retest reliability. Given the nature of some items requiring subjective clinical judgment (e.g., assessing the quality of family relationships or the severity of a substance use problem), inter-rater reliability among different service providers would be a critical consideration for the widespread academic application of this scale.

Factor Analysis

Information regarding the results of a formal factor analysis (exploratory or confirmatory) is not present in the provided source material. The scale structure itself suggests a six-factor model based on the identified domains: daily activities, health/well-being, social support, finance, substance use, and goal attainment. A formal factor analysis would be necessary to empirically confirm if the items load cleanly onto these intended conceptual factors.

Instrument

Test Type: Provider-Reported Observational Questionnaire / Clinical Rating Scale

Format: Structured questionnaire with a mix of open-ended questions (e.g., demographics, goal specification), categorical response options (e.g., Poor, Fair, Good), and Likert-type scales (e.g., 1-10 importance/achievement ratings).

Language Available: English (based on the provided instrument sample).

Population Group: Families receiving mental health or social services, particularly those whose quality of life and stability are under professional review.

Age Group: Applicable to families with members of all ages, as the assessment focuses on the family unit rather than a single age demographic.

Population Details: Developed within the context of services provided in Wisconsin, likely targeting families dealing with complex psychosocial challenges, including behavioral health issues and economic instability.

Test Methodology: Completed by a professional service provider (e.g., social worker, case manager, clinician) who has ongoing contact and knowledge of the family unit.

Keywords

Quality of Life Index, F-QLI, Marion Becker, family function, clinical assessment, housing stability, social relations, substance abuse, Wisconsin Family Quality of Life.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (Marion A. Becker)

Correspondence Address: Marion Becker, Ph.D., University of South Florida, Department of Community Mental Health, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MHC 1423, Tampa, Florida 33612-3899

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1996

Permissions & Fee: The instrument is available online, suggesting it may be freely accessible for research and clinical use, though formal permission requirements should be verified via the provided contact information. The instrument can be found at: http://wqli.fmhi.usf.edu/wqli-instruments/

Reference’s

Becker, M. A., Shaw, B. R., & Reib, L. M. (1996). Wisconsin Family Quality of Life Index (F-QLI) Provider Questionnaire. University of South Florida.

For more information, contact Marion Becker, Ph.D., University of South Florida, Department of Community Mental Health, 13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MHC 1423, Tampa, Florida 33612-3899. E-Mail: [email protected]

Items of the Wisconsin Family Quality of Life Index (F-QLI) Provider Questionnaire

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way. Note: This is not the complete instrument; please see the source link for the full version.

The questionnaire is structured around several key sections:

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

• Name and Date of birth (members of family)
• How adequate is this family’s housing? (Check one)
• What type of housing subsidy does this family receive: ………‚ No subsidy
• How many times has this family moved in the last year: ……..
• During the past four weeks‚ would you say that this client’s family life has been: Poor‚ Fair‚ Good‚ Very Good‚ Excellent
• During the past four weeks this client has been spending …: (Check one): …
• Is this client engaged in family activities? (Choose one) …
• Does this family attend any social activities (e.g. church‚ club or interest group)? Frequently‚ Occasionally‚ Rarely‚ Never
• Does this family generally make and keep up friendships? (Check one): …
• How would you describe the quality of this family’s relationship with each other? Poor‚ Fair‚ Good‚ Very good‚ Excellent
• How does this family feel about the money they have? Very dissatisfied‚ Moderately dissatisfied‚ A little dissatisfied‚ Neither satisfied nor dissatisfied‚ A little satisfied‚ Moderately satisfied‚ Very satisfied
• How important to this family is money? Not at all important‚ Slightly important‚ Moderately important‚ Very important‚ Extremely important
• How often does lack of money keep this family from doing what they want to do? Never‚ Sometimes‚ Frequently‚ Almost always

HEALTH AND WELL-BEING

• In general‚ this family is able to accomplish the things that they need to do. Strongly agree‚ Agree‚ Disagree‚ Strongly disagree
• In general‚ this family is able to cope with conflict and stress. (Check one): …

ALCOHOL & OTHER DRUGS

• Does any member of this family use alcohol or other drugs? Not at all (skip next question)‚ Rarely‚ Occasionally‚ Often
• Who in the family uses drugs? Please specify:
• To what extent does this use of alcohol or other drug use concern you? Not at all‚ Slightly‚ Moderately‚ A lot

SUBSTANCE USE

Please indicate the extent of your client’s substance use and the individual being evaluated: ….. (Supplemental Substance Use forms are available if more than one person is to be evaluated.)

Response options for specific substances: No use‚ Use; but no problem‚ Use; but it helps me‚ Moderate problem‚ Severe problem‚ Extremely severe problem

• Alcohol
• Tobacco
• Marijuana
• Other Street Drugs
• Prescription Drugs
• Over the Counter
• Caffeine

During the past four weeks this family has (check one):

• been ha‎ving good relationships with others and receiving support from family and friends
• been receiving only moderate support from family and friends
• had infrequent support from family and friends or only when absolutely necessary

GOAL ATTAINMENT

What are your goals for this family? Please write below up to 3 goals:

• Goal 1: ______________________________________

How important is this goal? Not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Extremely Important

To what extent have you achieved this goal? Not at all achieved 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Completely achieved

• Goal 2: ______________________________________

How important is this goal? Not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Extremely Important

To what extent have you achieved this goal? Not at all achieved 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Completely achieved

• Goal 3: ______________________________________

How important is this goal? Not at all important 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Extremely Important

To what extent have you achieved this goal? Not at all achieved 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Completely achieved

• Please check the box below to indicate your rating of this family’s quality of family life during the past four weeks. Lowest quality means things are as bad as they could be. Highest quality means things are the best they could be. LOWEST QUALITY 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 HIGHEST QUALITY
• How confident are you that your rating of this family’s quality of family life is accurate? (Check one): Not at all confident‚ Quite confident‚ Very confident‚ Absolutely confident
• Has a child from this family ever been placed outside the home? Yes‚ No‚ If yes; for how long?
• Which child/children was it?
• Do you believe that this family would be better off if a child was placed outside the home? Yes‚ No
• If yes‚ which child/children are you referring to?
• Is it possible that a child may be placed out of the home in the future? Yes‚ No

How important are each of the following factors in determining your client’s quality of family life?

Response options: Not at all important‚ Slightly important‚ Moderately important‚ Very important‚ Extremely important

• Family activities
• Feelings about the family
• Physical health of family
• Friends‚ people they spend time with outside of the family
• Ability to take care of themselves and the family
• Emotional health
• Other‚ please specify: