Validation and effect of demographic variables on perceived quality of life by adolescents

The objectives of the current study were to examine the psychometric properties of the WHOQOL-BREF (English and Hindi language) on Indian adolescents and to explore the role of demographic variables on quality of life. Data from 1327 students, aged 11-21 years was collected with mean age = 15.36 years (SD = 1.42 years). The results of validation indicated that English and Hindi version of WHOQOL-BREF was a moderate model fit. Overall quality of life and satisfaction with health both predicted the various domains of quality of life, thus demonstrating acceptable predictive validity. Results of multivariate analysis demonstrated that adolescents differed significantly on demographic variables. Adolescents who attended private school possessed significantly better quality of life (overall), physical health, psychological well-being and environmental conditions as compared to adolescents who attended government school. Rural adolescents had significantly higher perceived quality of life (overall), physical health, psychological well-being, social relationships and environmental conditions as compared to urban adolescents.