Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2013 Oct 25;8(10):e79677.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0079677. eCollection 2013.

Toward meeting the needs of homeless people with schizophrenia: the validity of quality of life measurement

Pascal Auquier  1 , Aurelie Tinland, Cecile Fortanier, Anderson Loundou, Karine Baumstarck, Christophe Lancon, Laurent Boyer
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Toward meeting the needs of homeless people with schizophrenia: the validity of quality of life measurement

Pascal Auquier et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Objective: To provide new evidence regarding the suitability of using quality of life (QoL) measurements in homeless people with schizophrenia, we assess the acceptability and psychometric properties of a specific QoL instrument (S-QoL 18) in a population of homeless people with schizophrenia, and we compare their QoL levels with those observed in non-homeless people with schizophrenia.

Methods: This multi-centre prospective study was conducted in the following 4 French cities: Lille, Marseille, Paris and Toulouse. Two hundred and thirty-six homeless patients with schizophrenia were recruited over a 12 month-period. The S-QoL 18 was tested for construct validity, reliability, external validity and sensitivity to change. The QoL of the 236 homeless patients was compared with 236 French age- and sex-matched non-homeless patients with schizophrenia.

Results: The eight-factor structure of the S-QoL 18 was confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis (RMSEA = 0.035, CFI = 0.95, GFI = 0.99 and SRMR = 0.015). Internal consistency, reliability and sensitivity to change were satisfactory. External validity was confirmed via correlations between S-QoL 18 dimension scores and SF-36, symptomatology and recovery scores. The percentage of missing data did not exceed 5%. Finally, homeless patients had significantly lower QoL levels than non-homeless patients with schizophrenia.

Conclusions: These results demonstrate the satisfactory acceptability and psychometric properties of the S-QoL 18, suggesting the validity of QoL measurement among homeless patients with schizophrenia. Our study also reported that QoL levels in homeless patients with schizophrenia were dramatically low, highlighting the need for new policies to eradicate homelessness and tackle poverty.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: The authors received funding from a commercial source, Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies, but this does not alter their adherence to all the PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Comparisons of S-QoL 18 score means (SD) between homeless (n=236) and non-homeless individuals with schizophrenia (n=236) matched by age and gender.
S-QoL 18—PsW: psychological well-being; SE: self-esteem; RFa: family relationships; RFr: relationships with friends; RE: resilience; PhW: physical well-being; AU: autonomy; and SL: sentimental life. * p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Cougnard A, Grolleau S, Lamarque F, Beitz C, Brugère S et al. (2006) Psychotic disorders among homeless subjects attending a psychiatric emergency service. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 41: 904-910. doi:10.1007/s00127-006-0109-4. PubMed: 16924397. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fazel S, Khosla V, Doll H, Geddes J (2008) The prevalence of mental disorders among the homeless in western countries: systematic review and meta-regression analysis. PLOS Med 5: e225. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0050225. PubMed: 19053169. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. van der Plas AG, Hoek HW, van Hoeken D, Valencia E, van Hemert AM (2012) Perceptions of quality of life and disability in homeless persons with schizophrenia and persons with schizophrenia living in non-institutional housing. Int J Soc Psychiatry 58: 629-634. doi:10.1177/0020764011419056. PubMed: 21878468. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Folsom D, Jeste DV (2002) Schizophrenia in homeless persons: a systematic review of the literature. Acta Psychiatr Scand 105: 404-413. doi:10.1034/j.1600-0447.2002.02209.x. PubMed: 12059843. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Rosenheck RA, Resnick SG, Morrissey JP (2003) Closing service system gaps for homeless clients with a dual diagnosis: integrated teams and interagency cooperation. J Ment Health Policy Econ 6: 77-87. PubMed: 14578540. - PubMed

Publication types