The Utility of the Personal Wellbeing Index Intellectual Disability Scale in an Australian Sample

Abstract

Background Subjective wellbeing (SWB) in people with intellectual disabilities has been the focus of increased interest in the identification of support needs and as an outcome measure for interventions and service delivery evaluations. It is therefore important to conduct further research in this area, and to develop appropriate scales to measure SWB. Methods A new scale, the Personal Wellbeing IndexIntellectual Disability (PWI-ID) was administered to 114 adults with mild (n = 82) or moderate (n = 32) level ID in Victoria, Australia.Results The PWI-ID demonstrated good reliability and validity. A comparison of the findings with previous research indicates that participants' SWB levels are within the normative range, and are similar to those reported by the general population. Conclusions The results support the notion that individuals with ID do not experience life quality lower than normal, which can be explained theoretically by the Theory of Subjective Wellbeing Homeostasis. The use of the PWI-ID may ultimately assist in ensuring that the needs of people with ID are being met and inform the planning and delivery of congruent resources and services.

Quality of life assessment in intellectual disabilities: The Escala Pessoal de Resultados versus the World Health Quality of Life-BREF

“…These results are compatible with previous studies (Claes et al, 2010;Lucas-Carrasco, Laidlw, & Power, 2011;Trompenaars et al, 2005;Van Loon et al, 2009). At the same time, our data corroborates earlier findings in the general population (McGillivray, Lau, Cummins, & Davey, 2009). Despite the lack of statistical significance, males scored higher (better QOL) than females in all domains, except in self-determination and rights (EPR).…”

Subjective Wellbeing in China: A Review

“…They have similar domain items and theoretical basis, but there are also slight modifications. The PWI-ID, for example, includes simpler item wording, and reduced-choice formats (5-, 3-, and 2-point scales) for respondents unable to cope with the standard 11-point scale, and a pre-testing protocol to exclude respondents unable to respond validly (McGillivray et al 2009;Cummins et al 2010). These parallel versions permit comparison of SWB across subpopulations.…”

Self-esteem, social support, and life satisfaction in Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorder

“…Objective measurement includes, for example, living conditions, number of friends and severity of disability whereas the subjective dimension, which has been referred to as subjective well-being, includes, for example, the degree of perceived happiness or satisfaction. Theorists and researchers recommend focusing on the subjective aspect of quality of life mainly because it allows for a global and comprehensive comparison (McGillivray, Lau, Cummins, & Davey, 2009). Life satisfaction, or selfperceived well-being, reflects an individual's evaluation of his or her life as a whole and has been associated with quality of life (Diener & Diener, 1995).…”