Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
Published in: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 1/2007

Open Access 01-12-2007 | Research

Injection Drug User Quality of Life Scale (IDUQOL): Findings from a content validation study

Authors: Anita M Hubley, Anita Palepu

Published in: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes | Issue 1/2007

Login to get access

Abstract

Background

Quality of life studies among injection drug users have primarily focused on health-related measures. The chaotic life-style of many injection drug users (IDUs), however, extends far beyond their health, and impacts upon social relationships, employment opportunities, housing, and day to day survival. Most current quality of life instruments do not capture the realities of people living with addictions. The Injection Drug Users' Quality of Life Scale (IDUQOL) was developed to reflect the life areas of relevance to IDUs. The present study examined the content validity of the IDUQOL using judgmental methods based on subject matter experts' (SMEs) ratings of various elements of this measure (e.g., appropriateness of life areas or items, names and descriptions of life areas, instructions for administration and scoring).

Methods

Six SMEs were provided with a copy of the IDUQOL and its administration and scoring manual and a detailed content validation questionnaire. Two commonly used judgmental measures of inter-rater agreement, the Content Validity Index (CVI) and the Average Deviation Mean Index (ADM), were used to evaluate SMEs' agreement on ratings of IDUQOL elements.

Results

A total of 75 elements of the IDUQOL were examined. The CVI results showed that all elements were endorsed by the required number of SMEs or more. The ADM results showed that acceptable agreement (i.e., practical significance) was obtained for all elements but statistically significant agreement was missed for nine elements. For these elements, SMEs' feedback was examined for ways to improve the elements. Open-ended feedback also provided suggestions for other revisions to the IDUQOL.

Conclusion

The results of the study provided strong evidence in support of the content validity of the IDUQOL and direction for the revision of some IDUQOL elements.
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
Literature
1.
Globe DR, Hays RD, Cunningham WE: Associations of clinical parameters with health-related quality of life in hospitalized persons with HIV disease. AIDS Care 1999, 17: 71–86. 10.1080/09540129948216CrossRef
2.
Koch T: Life quality vs the 'quality of life': Assumptions and underlying prospective quality of life instruments in health care planning. Social Science and Medicine 2000, 51: 419–427. 10.1016/S0277-9536(99)00474-8PubMedCrossRef
3.
Gill TM, Feinstein AR: A critical appraisal of the quality of quality-of-life measurements. Journal of the American Medical Association 1994, 272: 619–626. 10.1001/jama.272.8.619PubMedCrossRef
4.
Burgess AP, Carretero M, Elkington A, Pasqual-Marsettin E, Lobaccaro C, Catalán J: The role of personality, coping style, and social support in health-related quality of life in HIV infection. Quality of Life Research: An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care & Rehabilitation 2000,9(4):423–437.CrossRef
5.
Rooney S, Freyne A, Kelly G, O’Connor J: Differences in the quality of life of two groups of drug users. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine 2002, 19: 55–59.
6.
Sherbourne CD, Hays RD, Fleishman JA, Vitiello B, Magruder KM, Bing EG, McCaffrey D, Burnam A, Longshore D, Eggan F, Bozzette SA, Shapiro MF: Impact of psychiatric conditions on health-related quality of life in persons with HIV infection. American Journal of Psychiatry 2000, 157: 248–254. 10.1176/appi.ajp.157.2.248PubMedCrossRef
7.
te Vaarwerk MJE, Gaal EA: Psychological distress and quality of life in drug-using and non-drug-using HIV-infected women. European Journal of Public Health 2001, 11: 109–115. 10.1093/eurpub/11.1.109PubMedCrossRef
8.
Turner J, Page-Shafer K, Chin DP, Osmond D, Mossar M, Markstein L, Huitsing J, Barnes S, Clemente V, Chesney M, the Pulmonary Complications of HIV Infection Study Group: Adverse impact of cigarette smoking on dimensions of health-related quality of life in persons with HIV infection. AIDS Patient Care and STDs 2001, 15: 615–624. 10.1089/108729101753354617PubMedCrossRef
9.
Darke S, Hall W, Wodak A, Heather N, Ward J: Development and validation of a multidimensional instrument for assessing outcome of treatment among opiate users: Opiate Treatment Index. British Journal of Addiction 1992, 87: 733–742. 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1992.tb02719.xPubMedCrossRef
10.
Torrens M, San L, Martinez A, Castillo C, Domingo-Salvany A, Alonso J: Use of the Nottingham Health Profile for measuring health status of patients in methadone maintenance treatment. Addiction 1997, 92: 707–716. 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1997.tb02937.xPubMedCrossRef
11.
Puigdollers E, Domingo-Salvany A, Brugal MT, Torrens M, Alvaros J, Castillo C, Magri N, Martin S, Vazquez JM: Characteristics of heroin addicts entering methadone maintenance treatment: Quality of life and gender. Substance Use & Misuse 2004, 39: 1353–1368. 10.1081/JA-120039392CrossRef
12.
Giacomuzzi SM, Riemer Y, Ertl M, Kemmler G, Rossler H, Hinterhuber H, Kurz M: Gender differences in health-related quality of life on admission to a maintenance treatment program. European Addiction Research 2005, 11: 69–75. 10.1159/000083035PubMedCrossRef
13.
Ryan CF, White JM: Health status at entry to methadone maintenance treatment using the SF-36 health survey questionnaire. Addiction 1996, 91: 39–45. 10.1111/j.1360-0443.1996.tb03160.xPubMedCrossRef
14.
Stein MD, Mulvey KP, Plough A, Samet JH: The functioning and well being of persons who seek treatment for drug and alcohol use. Journal of Substance Abuse 1998, 10: 75–84. 10.1016/S0899-3289(99)80142-4PubMedCrossRef
15.
Préau MP C., Spire B, Sobel A, Dellamonica P, Moatti JP, Carrieri MP: Health related quality of life among both current and former injection drug users who are HIV-infected. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2007, 86: 175–182. 10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2006.06.012PubMedCrossRef
16.
Costenbader EC, Zule WA, Coomes CM: The impact of illicit drug use and harmful drinking on quality of life among injection drug users at high risk for hepatitis C infection. Drug and Alcohol Dependence 2007, Feb 21 [E-pub ahead of print].
17.
Carretero MD, Burgess AP, Soler P, Soler M, Catalan J: Reliability and validity of an HIV-specific health-related quality-of-life measure for use with injecting drug users. AIDS 1996, 10: 1699–1705.PubMedCrossRef
18.
Dalgard O, Egeland A, Skaug K, Vilimas K, Steen T: Health-related quality of life in active injecting drug users with and without chronic hepatitis C virus infection. Hepatology 2004, 39: 74–80. 10.1002/hep.20014PubMedCrossRef
19.
Perez IR, Baño JR, Lopez Ruz MA, Jiminez AA, Prados MC, Liaño JP, Rico RM, Lima JT, Pardal JLP, Gomez ML, Muñoz N, Morales D, Marcos M: Health-related quality of life of patients with HIV: Impact of sociodemographic, clinical, and psychosocial factors. Quality of Life Research: An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care, & Rehabilitation 2005, 14: 1301–1310.CrossRef
20.
Smith MY, Feldman J, Kelly P, DeHovitz JA, Chirgwin K, Minkoff H: Health-related quality of life of HIV-infected women: Evidence for the reliability, validity, and responsiveness of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 20. Quality of Life Research: An International Journal of Quality of Life Aspects of Treatment, Care, & Rehabilitation 1996,5(1):47–55.CrossRef
21.
Fernández Miranda JJ: La calidad de vida en adicciones: Una medida de la efectividad de los tratamientos [Quality of life in addictions: A measure of treatment effectiveness]. Anales de Psiquiatría 2003, 19: 377–384.
22.
Amato L, Davoli M, Perucci CA, Ferri M, Faggiano F, Mattick RP: An overview of systematic reviews of the effectiveness of opiate maintenance therapies: Available evidence to inform clinical practice and research. Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment 2005, 28: 321–329. 10.1016/j.jsat.2005.02.007PubMedCrossRef
23.
Reno RR, Aiken LS: Life activities and life quality of heroin addicts in and out of methadone treatment. International Journal of Addictions 1993,28(3):211–232.
24.
Fleming CA, Christiansen D, Nunes D, Heeren T, Thornton D, Horsburgh Jr. CR, Koziel MJ, Graham C, Craven DE: Health-related quality of life of patients with HIV disease: Impact of hepatitis C coinfection. Clinical Infectious Diseases 2004, 38: 572–578. 10.1086/381263PubMedCrossRef
25.
Gielen AC, McDonnell KA, Wu AW, O’Campo P, Faden R: Quality of life among women living with HIV: The importance of violence, social support, and self care behaviors. Social Science & Medicine 2001, 52: 315–322. 10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00135-0CrossRef
26.
McDonnell KA, Gielen AC, O’Campo P, Burke JG: Abuse, HIV status, and health-related quality of life among a sample of HIV positive and HIV negative low income women. Quality of Life Research 2005, 14: 945–957. 10.1007/s11136-004-3709-zPubMedCrossRef
27.
Millson P, Challacombe L, Villeneuve PJ, Strike CJ, Fischer B, Myers T, Shore R, Hopkins S: Determinants of health-related quality of life of opiate users at entry to low-threshold methadone programs. European Addiction Research 2006, 12: 74–82. 10.1159/000090426PubMedCrossRef
28.
Mrus JM, Leonard AC, Yi MS, Sherman SN, Fultz SL, Justice AC, Tsevat J: Health-related quality of life in veterans and nonveterans with HIV/AIDS. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2006, 21: S39–47. 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00644.xPubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef
29.
DeWit DJ: Frequent childhood geographic relocation: Its impact on drug use initiation and the development of alcohol and other drug-related problems among adolescents and young adults. Addictive Behaviors 1998, 23: 623–634. 10.1016/S0306-4603(98)00023-9PubMedCrossRef
30.
Fuller CM, Borrell LN, Latkin CA, Galea S, Ompad DC, Strathdee SA, Vlahov D: Effects of race, neighborhood, and social network on age at initiation of injection drug use. American Journal of Public Health 2005, 95: 689–695. 10.2105/AJPH.2003.02178PubMedCentralPubMedCrossRef
31.
Higgins K, McElrath K: The trouble with peace: The cease-fires and their impact on drug use among youth in Northern Ireland. Youth & Society 2000, 32: 29–59. 10.1177/0044118X00032001003CrossRef
32.
March JC, Oviedo-Joekes E, Romero M: Injection and non-injection drug use related to social exclusion indicators in two Andalusian cities. Drugs: Education, Prevention & Policy 2005, 12: 437–447. 10.1080/09687630500281998
33.
Martín LL, Hernández SO, Carrobles JA: Variables psicosociales en la adherencia al tratemiento antiretroviral en pacientes adscritos a un programa de mantenimiento con metadona [Psychosocial variables in the antiretroviral treatment adherence in methadone maintenance patients]. Psicothema 2005, 17: 575–581.
34.
Neaigus A, Gyarmathy A, Miller M, Frajzyngier VM, Friedman SR, Des Jarlais DC: Transitions to injecting drug use among noninjecting heroin users: Social network influence and individual susceptibility. Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes 2006, 41: 493–503. 10.1097/01.qai.0000186391.49205.3bPubMedCrossRef
35.
Newcomb MD, Bentler PM: The impact of family context, deviant attitudes, and emotional distress on adolescent drug use: Longitudinal latent-variable analyses of mothers and their children. Journal of Research in Personality 1988, 22: 154–176. 10.1016/0092-6566(88)90012-8CrossRef
36.
Wasserman DA, Sorensen JL, Delucchi KL, Masson CL, Hall SM: Psychometric evaluation of the Quality of Life Interview, Brief Version, in injection drug users. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors 2006, 20: 316–321. 10.1037/0893-164X.20.3.316PubMedCrossRef
37.
Lehman AF: Evaluating quality of life for persons with severe mental illness: Assessment toolkit. Cambridge, MA , Evaluation Center at Health Services Research Institute; 1995.
38.
Dunaj R, Kovác D: Quality of life of convicted drug addicts; Preliminary report. Studia Psychologica 2003, 45: 357–360.
39.
WHOQOL Group: Development of the World Health Organisation WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. Psychological Medicine 1998, 28: 551–558. 10.1017/S0033291798006667CrossRef
40.
Cummins RA: Comprehensive Quality of Life Scale-Adult: ComQol-A5. 5th edition. Melbourne, Australia , School of Psychology, Deakin University; 1997.
41.
Bonomi AE, Patrick DL, Bushnell DM, Martin M: Validation of the United States’ version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) instrument. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology 2000, 53: 1–12. 10.1016/S0895-4356(99)00123-7PubMedCrossRef
42.
Metzger DS, O'Brien CP: Substance Abuse: The Challenge of Assessment. In Quality of Life Assessments in Clinical Trials. Edited by: Spilker B. New York , Raven Press, Ltd.; 1990:237–246.
43.
Brogly S, Mercier C, Bruneau J, Palepu A, Franco E: Towards more effective public health programming for injection drug users: Development and evaluation of the Injection Drug User Quality of Life Scale. Substance Use & Misuse 2003, 38: 965–992. 10.1081/JA-120017619CrossRef
44.
45.
Morales-Manrique CC, Valderrama-Zurian JC, Castellano-Gomez M, Aleixandre-Benavent R, Palepu A: Cross cultural adaptation of the Injection Drug User Quality of Life Scale (IDUQOL) in Spanish drug dependent population, with or without injectable consumption : Drug User Quality of Life Scale - Spanish (DUQOL - Spanish). Addictive Behaviors 2007,32(9):1913–1921. 10.1016/j.addbeh.2006.12.006PubMedCrossRef
46.
APA, AERA, NCME: Standards for educational and psychological testing. Washington, DC , American Psychological Association, American Educational Research Association, National Council on Measurement in Education; 1985.
47.
Hubley AM, Zumbo BD: A dialectic on validity: Where we have been and where we are going. The Journal of General Psychology 1996, 123: 207–215.CrossRef
48.
Messick S: Validity of test interpretation and use. Research Report No. 90–11. Educational Testing Service; 1990.
49.
Polit DF, Beck CT: The content validity index: Are you sure you know what’s being reported? Critique and recommendations. Research in Nursing & Health 2006, 29: 489–497. 10.1002/nur.20147CrossRef
50.
Rubio DM, Berg-Weger M, Tebb SS, Lee ES, Rauch S: Objectifying content validity: Conducting a content validity study in social work. Social Work Research 2003, 27: 94–104.CrossRef
51.
Sireci SG: The construct of content validity. Social Indicators Research 1998, 45: 83–117. 10.1023/A:1006985528729CrossRef
52.
Beck CT, Gable RK: Ensuring content validity: An illustration of the process. Journal of Nursing Measurement 2001,9(2):201–215.PubMed
53.
Haynes SN, Richard DR, Kubany ES: Content validity in psychological assessment: A functional approach to concepts and methods. Psychological Assessment 1995, 7: 238–247. 10.1037/1040-3590.7.3.238CrossRef
54.
Cramer ME, Atwood JR, Stoner JA: Measuring community coalition effectiveness using the ICE© instrument. Public Health Nursing 2006, 23: 74–87. 10.1111/j.0737-1209.2006.230111.xPubMedCrossRef
55.
Lynn MR: Determination and quantification of content validity. Nursing Research 1986,35(6):382–385. 10.1097/00006199-198611000-00017PubMedCrossRef
56.
Grant J, Davis L: Selection and use of content experts for instrument development. Research in Nursing and Health 1997, 20: 269–274. Publisher Full Text 10.1002/(SICI)1098-240X(199706)20:3%3C269::AID-NUR9%3E3.0.CO;2-GPubMedCrossRef
57.
Lawshe CH: A quantitative approach to content validity. Personnel Psychology 1975, 28: 563–575. 10.1111/j.1744-6570.1975.tb01393.xCrossRef
58.
Dunlap WP, Burke MJ, Smith-Crowe K: Accurate tests of statistical significance for r WG and average deviation interrater agreement indexes. Journal of Applied Psychology 2003,88(2):356–362. 10.1037/0021-9010.88.2.356PubMedCrossRef
59.
Burke MJ, Dunlap WP: Estimating interrater agreement with the Average Deviation Index: A user's guide. Organizational Research Methods 2002,5(2):159–172. 10.1177/1094428102005002002CrossRef
60.
Burke MJ, Finkelstein LM, Dusig MS: On average deviation indices for estimating interrater agreement. Organizational Research Methods 1999, 2: 49–68. 10.1177/109442819921004CrossRef
61.
Russell LB, Hubley AM, Palepu A, Zumbo BD: Does weighting capture what's important? Revisiting subjective importance weighting with a quality of life measure. Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement 2006, 75: 141–167.CrossRef
62.
Metadata
Title
Injection Drug User Quality of Life Scale (IDUQOL): Findings from a content validation study
Authors
Anita M Hubley
Anita Palepu
Publication date
01-12-2007
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes / Issue 1/2007
Electronic ISSN: 1477-7525
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7525-5-46

Other articles of this Issue 1/2007

Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 1/2007 Go to the issue

Research

The predictive value of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms for quality of life: a longitudinal study of physically injured victims of non-domestic violence

Research

Health-related quality of life of patients following selected types of lumbar spinal surgery: A pilot study

Research

Self-report and parent-report of physical and psychosocial well-being in Dutch adolescents with type 1 diabetes in relation to glycemic control

Review

Measuring health-related quality of life for child maltreatment: a systematic literature review

Research

A cross-sectional look at patient concerns in the first six weeks following primary total knee arthroplasty

Review

Theoretical framework and methodological development of common subjective health outcome measures in osteoarthritis: a critical review