Quality of Life Is to Experience Adult Social Status

Abstract

AbstractQuality of life (QoL) has become an important outcome in evaluations of services and support for people with intellectual disabilities (ID). Many people with ID request more say and want to be involved in the development of services and support provision. The original Uppsala QoL (UQoL) model consists of a general essence and hierarchically ordered themes and describes QoL from the perspective of people with ID through individual interviews. The aim of the present study is to examine the UQoL regarding its inherent component parts and to explore the interrelationship between them. The study contributes to the understanding of the concept of QoL from the perspective of people with ID. Focus group interviews were conducted with people with mild and moderate ID. The results indicate that QoL is to experience well‐being. The key component of QoL is to experience adult social status. which is determined by whether the individual experiences having control of their life, experiences a sense of personal safety and feels social belonging. In concordance with the original model, the UQoL2 is mainly made up of components equivalent to those frequently reported in the QoL literature. Nevertheless, some differences require attention. The primary component, adult social status, has not previously been highlighted in the QoL literature. The point of departure in the UQoL model is the users´ perspective rather than the user perspective as perceived by professionals or researchers. The UQoL is not primarily linked to the quality of service provision, but to peoples' daily life. A revised version of the original UQoL is suggested. Unlike the original model, other than the fact which that adult social status is superior, the components are not hierarchically organized, rather the interrelation between them is emphasized.