The Concurrent Validity of Items in the Quality-of-Life Index in a Cohort of HIV-positive and HIV-negative Gay Men

The concurrent validity of the Quality-of-Life Index (QLI) is examined by comparing it with other standard measures of psychopathology and psychosocial and physical functioning in a sample of HIV-positive (HIV+) and HIV-negative (HIV-) men. Fifty gay men (29 HIV+ and 21 HIV-) were assessed on the QLI and a number of other instruments covering medical, psychological, and social factors in order to examine the validity of the five domains (activity, health, support, outlook, and daily living) of the QLI as a measure of health-related quality of life. A highly significant correlation was found between the support domain of the QLI and the Social Supports Scale. A significant correlation was found between the QLI outlook domain and most measures of psychopathology including depression, anxiety, distress, and hopelessness. A modest but significant correlation was found between the activity domain of the QLI and a medical staging scale, and the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale. It can be concluded that the QLI successfully measures different areas of functioning related to quality of life.