Citation

Lehman AF, Rachuba LT, Postrado LT. Eval. Program Plann. 1995; 18(2): 155-164.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1995, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/0149-7189(95)00006-W

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Quality of life has been studied extensively in the general population and many demographic influences on quality of life have been reported. This paper explores the influence of demographic variables on the quality of life of persons with chronic mental illness. Gender, race, and age effects on objective and subjective quality of life indicators were examined. In general, predicted variations in quality of life experiences based upon studies from the general population were not upheld. Gender difference, when present, favored men, and racial differences, when present, generally favored nonCaucasians. Mean general life satisfaction scores for the total sample and for each of the subgroups were lower than that of the general population. Overall, the findings suggest modest demographic influences on quality of life among persons with chronic mental illness. The unexpected findings regarding gender and race point to potential avenues for further basic research to understand quality of life assessment and for service development.