THE DOMAINS OF LIFE SATISFACTION - AN ATTEMPT TO ORDER CHAOS

While life satisfaction is commonly measured as an aggregate of indivi dual life domains, the characterisation of such domains is uncertain. This study attempts to group 173 different domains names derived from the literature under seven headings as used by the Comprehensive Quali ty of Life Scale (ComQol). It was found that 68% could be classified i n this way. Moreover, due to the repeated use of some domain names, th e ComQol classification included 83% of the total reported data. The C omQol domain data did not differ from single-item global measures of l ife satisfaction and the within-study variance was lower using the Com Qol rather than the original domains. A hierarchy of domain satisfacti on was found which was dominated by the domain of intimacy. The other ComQol domains were quite tightly clustered within a range of 1.08 sta ndard deviations. No difference was found between normative data and d ata gathered from people with a chronic medical condition, but people selected on psychiatric criteria had a lower life quality, most partic ularly in the domain of intimacy. It is concluded that life satisfacti on, and therefore subjective well-being, can be economically and valid ly measured through the seven ComQol domains.