Testing a brief index of subjective well-being in patients diagnosed with chronic illnesses

Chronic medical condition refers to a long-lasting illness or syndrome which causes significant impairments in personal, occupational, and social functioning of the patient. A chronic illness is often associated with decreased subjective well-being and quality of life in patients. It is therefore necessary to conduct an economical assessment of the psychological condition associated with a chronic illness. In the present study, we tested a generic index of subjective well-being. This index was based on two psychometrically sound instruments: Beck Depression Inventory-Fast Screen (BDI-FS; k = 7 items) and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; k = 5 items). Seventy-three patients diagnosed with C-type hepatitis completed the BDI-FS, SWLS and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). A metric hypothetical model with two intercorrelated latent factors (i.e., severity of depression and overall satisfaction with life) was tested. Confirmatory factor analysis with AMOS 20.00 yielded a model with good statistical fit. For BDI-FS and SWLS, Cronbach’s alphas were .78 and .92. Participants scored moderately high on SWLS, while BDI-FS score was at the lower end of the scoring range. As expected, females scored significantly higher than males on depression. Compared to patients who have completed the treatment with interferon, those who still pursued this specific intervention reported lower levels of satisfaction with life. Correlational analysis revealed a positive association between SWLS score and self-esteem in the patients who participated in the study, while the association between BDI-FS score and self-esteem was negative. The implications for assessment of psychological functioning in patients with chronic illnesses are discussed.