What is it about?
This study focused on understanding the definition of quality of life and evaluating a brief quality of life measure in an outpatient emerging adult (17-25 years of age) substance use program. This study used routinely collected patient data from 100 patients and data from 12 in-depth interviews with emerging adults in the program.
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Why is it important?
Routinely measuring treatment targets can inform personalized patient care, quality improvement initiatives, and research. Young people have indicated improving their quality of life as being of high (or highest) importance to their treatment. Unfortunately, we lack strong youth-specific measures of quality of life. To fill this measurement gap, the MyLifeTracker (MLT) was created for routine monitoring in youth mental health programs. This study was the first to evaluate the relevance and performance of the MLT measure in a sample of young adults attending substance use treatment.
Perspectives
This paper is the outcome of one of the most meaningful research projects thus far in my career. It was fully co-designed, co-facilitated, and co-interpreted with emerging adults with lived experience. Through this work, I saw the power of youth engagement in research to not only ensure research questions and outcomes are impactful and meaningful, but also to create meaning during the research process itself. With strong youth engagement, not only does your research outcome matter, but your research process matters and can have an immediate positive impact on the lives of the youth involved. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to have been able to work with and learn from all the young people involved in this project.
Jillian Halladay
University of Sydney
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Measuring and understanding “quality of life” among emerging adults in a substance use program., Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, May 2023, American Psychological Association (APA),
DOI: 10.1037/adb0000926.
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