Quality of Life (WHOQOL) Test

Based on research from the World Health Organization

The WHOQOL, developed by the World Health Organization, is a practical, internationally validated tool for assessing quality of life. Measuring physical health, psychological well-being, social relationships, and environmental factors, it captures how people truly experience their daily lives. Whether for tracking treatment outcomes, studying populations, or understanding well-being, the WHOQOL-BREF offers a reliable, holistic snapshot of life quality.

What is your quality of life like? For each of the following questions, indicate your answer blow.

Question 1 of 26

I often experience positive feelings (e.g., happiness, joy).

The WHOQOL-BREF is a widely used quality of life assessment tool developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to measure subjective well-being across multiple life domains. Designed as a brief version of the WHOQOL-100, it provides a reliable and efficient way to assess health-related quality of life in clinical practice, research studies, and public health settings. The instrument is internationally recognized for its cross-cultural validity and applicability in diverse populations.

The WHOQOL-BREF evaluates general quality of life, including an individual’s overall perception of life satisfaction and general health. It captures Health Quality of Life, focusing on physical functioning, mobility, pain, energy, fatigue, sleep, daily activities, and the impact of illness or medical treatment. This domain is especially relevant in healthcare research, chronic disease management, and patient-reported outcome measurement.

The Psychological Quality of Life domain assesses mental and emotional well-being, including positive and negative feelings, self-esteem, body image, cognitive functioning, and personal beliefs. It is commonly used in mental health research, psychological assessment, and studies examining stress, anxiety, depression, and emotional resilience. This domain supports a holistic approach to health, aligning with the biopsychosocial model.

Social Quality of Life measures satisfaction with personal relationships, social support, and interpersonal connections. It reflects social participation, intimacy, and perceived support from family and friends. This domain is particularly important in research on social well-being, social isolation, and community health, highlighting how relationships influence overall quality of life.

The Environmental Quality of Life domain examines external living conditions, including financial resources, safety, access to healthcare, housing, transportation, leisure opportunities, and physical environmental factors such as noise, pollution, and climate. It is frequently applied in public health, health policy, and environmental health research, emphasizing how surroundings shape daily functioning and well-being.

The WHOQOL-BREF uses a five-point Likert scale, producing domain scores that can be transformed to a 0–100 scale, where higher scores indicate better quality of life. Its psychometric properties, including reliability and validity, have been confirmed through international field trials. Due to its brevity, cultural adaptability, and comprehensive coverage, the WHOQOL-BREF is a trusted tool for assessing quality of life outcomes in global health research, clinical evaluation, and population studies.

References

The WHOQOL Group. (1998). Development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment. Psychological Medicine, 28(3), 551–558. https://doi.org/10.1017/s0033291798006667
Skevington, S. M., Lotfy, M., & O’Connell, K. A. (2004). The World Health Organization’s WHOQOL-BREF quality of life assessment: Psychometric properties and results of the international field trial. A Report from the WHOQOL Group. Quality of Life Research, 13(2), 299–310. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:QURE.0000018486.91360.00

Why Use This Test?

The WHOQOL-BREF is used because it offers a reliable, internationally validated, and easy-to-administer way to measure quality of life across key life domains. Developed by the World Health Organization, it captures physical, psychological, social, and environmental influences on well-being, going beyond symptom-based assessment. Its brevity makes it practical for clinical and research settings, while its cross-cultural design ensures meaningful comparisons across populations, health conditions, and interventions, supporting evidence-based decision-making and holistic evaluation of outcomes.