Symptom Distress Check Lists as a Component of Quality of Life Measurement: Comparing Symptom Reports with Responses to Multiple Choice Questionnaires *

Abstract

In order to capture both positive and negative aspects of the quality of life (QOL), clinicians and researchers commonly look to symptom inventories to supplement psychometric measures combining multiple-choice questionnaire items. While these two modalities clearly approach the broad concept of QOL from distinct directions, one wonders how much unique information —and, on the other hand, how much redundancy—each contributes to the overall picture.

This retrospective study combined data from three randomized, double-blind, multicenter clinical comparisons of QOL under treatment with antihypertensive agents, in which 1,561 male patients responded concurrently to a Symptom Distress Check List (SDCJ administered at five office visits and to various multiple-choice measures of positive and negative aspects of QOL. The SDC required the respondent to state for each of 49 symptoms 1. whether he had experienced it during the past month, 2. if so, how often, and 3. with how much associated distress.

For every symptom, with respect to each of three independent composite QOL scales, patients reporting distress associated with the symptom reported significantly lower concurrent QOL. Somewhat contrary to expectation, symptoms appeared to correlate nearly as highly with positively-defined QOL indices (Psychological Well-Being, General Perceived Health) as with negatively-defined measures (Psychological Distress). Cognitive and emotional symptoms, in contrast to physical symptoms, tended to be associated with greater QOL decrements.