Quality of Life in Light of Appraisal and Response Shift

Abstract

This chapter discusses the relevance of quality of life (QOL) research for clinical care and research. It begins by describing the evolution of the theoretical scope of QOL research, extending from theories in psychology and other social sciences. It then highlights methodological challenges with evaluating change in QOL, with a particular focus on how these challenges may be mitigated by incorporating appraisal and response shift assessments. Response shift refers to changes in the self-evaluation of a concept due to changes in internal standards, values, or conceptualization of the concept. The empirical and theoretical history of response shift research in QOL research are reviewed, and new methodological developments for detecting response shift are described. Directions for future quality of life and response shift research are suggested.