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Quality of Life Research
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Quality of Life Research
A Critical Introduction

First Edition


March 2003 | 286 pages | SAGE Publications Ltd
`Many books have been published on quality of life research in recent years, but few are as thought provoking or original as this one. It is essential reading for anyone who a serious and critical interest in this topic' - Nurse Researcher

`This was a fun book to read and I would suggest it be used for a graduate level seminar - where, of course, it would lead to a lively discussion' -

Quality of Life Research

`Quality of life' is one of the fastest growing areas of research and policy. The concept has an intuitive appeal as a measure of the well-being of individuals, communities and nations. It is increasingly promoted as an aid for political decisions and public funding. But what does the concept really mean? And how can it be operationalized in teaching and research?

This is the first introductory text to offer a critical overview of the concept of quality of life and the ways in which it is researched. Using an inter-disciplinary approach, the book covers every aspect of the concept and its application - from the calculation of Quality-Adjusted Life Years to conversation analysis, and from the estimation of the quality of life of nation states to ethnographic studies of the life quality of individual disadvantaged people.

The book fills a huge gap in teaching and research. Written with authority, and the need to produce an accessible critical introduction to the field, it will be of interest to students of sociology, psychology, public health and nursing, health economics, politics and medicine.

 
PART ONE: THEORY
 
Introduction
Where Has QOL Come from?

 
 
A Life of Quality
Just What Does QOL Mean?

 
 
Whose Quality of Life Is It Anyway?
 
Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches
 
PART TWO: PRACTICE
 
Researching QOL as Cultural Object
 
QOL in Health and Social Care Research
 
QOL Research with Special Populations
 
Researching QOL as a Psychological Object
 
Should We `Hang Up Quality of Life as a Hopeless Term'?

'Quality of Life Research provides a superb summary of a complex and fragmented field of social science research. Mark Rapley has achieved a remarkable command of the topic, and explores the research findings in a clear, critical and comprehensive study' - Bryan Turner, University of Cambridge

'[Quality of Life Research] is a major achievement, pulling together a very wide range of material and offering a coherent and cogent critique' - Mike Bury, Royal Holloway, University of London


No longer engaged in this teaching unit.

Dr RICHARD FISHER
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE, Bournemouth University
October 20, 2010

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ISBN: 9780761954576
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