Reliability and validity of the Wisconsin HSS Quality of Life Inventory intraumatic brain injury

The present investigation examined the psychometric properties of the Wisco nsin HSS Quality of Life Inventory (WI HSS QOL) when used in the study of t raumatic brain injury (TBI). The WI HSS QOL is a theoretically based measur e that assesses QOL via level of need satisfaction as conceptualized in Mas low's theory of human needs. Both internal consistency and test-retest reli ability were demonstrated in a group of individuals with moderate to severe TBI. The demonstrated consistency of the participants' self-reports indica tes that QOL can be reliably assessed from the survivor's perspective. Clus ter analytic results generally supported the construct validity of the meas ure's use in TBI. The cluster solution reflected four of the five theoretic al need categories; however, the fifth category, "self-actualization" needs , did not emerge as a single cluster as expected. This deviation from the t heoretical model may relate to participants' difficulties in understanding the relatively abstract items designed to assess the concept of self-actual ization. Overall, the WI HSS QOL holds significant promise as a measure of QOL in TBI.