Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39036973›Full record

SynthesisSchizophrenia bulletin2025

Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale and Schizophrenia Quality of Life Scale Revision 4: A Systematic Review of Measurement Properties.

Milena Zúñiga Le-Bert, Max Wiessner, Sophia Wehr, Lucia Weigel, Stefan Leucht

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Schizophrenia bulletin, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Systematic review of the psychometric properties of quality-of-life outcome measures used with adult inpatient psychiatric populations.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Mend the Gap: Online User-Led Adjuvant Treatment for Psychosis: A Systematic Review on Recent Findings.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025
    Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
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  8. Observational
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Milena Zúñiga Le-BertTechnical University of Munich, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Munich, Germany.
Max WiessnerTechnical University of Munich, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Munich, Germany.
Sophia WehrTechnical University of Munich, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0009-0000-4038-3200
Lucia WeigelTechnical University of Munich, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Munich, Germany.
Stefan LeuchtTechnical University of Munich, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Munich, Germany.ORCID 0000-0002-4934-4352

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

background and hypothesisSchizophrenia is a severe mental disorder that has a significant impact on quality of life (QOL). Measuring QOL can offer insights into treatment efficacy and areas of intervention, highlighting the importance of valid tools assessing QOL in people with schizophrenia. STUDY

designWe employed the COSMIN systematic review guideline to assess the psychometric properties of the schizophrenia quality of life scale (SQLS) and its 4th revision, the schizophrenia quality of life scale revision 4 (SQLS-R4), as patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). STUDY

resultsThe search yielded 455 papers, 16 were included, 7 for the SQLS and 9 for the SQLS-R4. Both scales demonstrated good results in risk of bias assessment for internal consistency and convergent validity, the SQLS-R4 additionally for known-groups validity. For the SQLS, PROM development, structural validity, and reliability were suboptimal. The SQLS-R4 showed suboptimality regarding structural validity and reliability and inadequacy for cross-cultural validity and responsiveness. The updated criteria for good measurement properties indicated good convergent validity for the SQLS and good internal consistency, reliability, and convergent validity for the SQLS-R4. The SQLS showed suboptimal results for reliability and known-groups validity, while the SQLS-R4 demonstrated suboptimality in structural validity and known-groups validity. The SQLS had indeterminate structural validity and internal consistency; the SQLS-R4 showed indeterminate responsiveness, and insufficient cross-cultural validity. When using the updated GRADE approach of the COSMIN group, both scales received a very low grade.

conclusionsThe SQLS and SQLS-R4 hold the potential for recommendation in rating QOL. Identified weaknesses necessitate further validations.

Indexed as

Patient Reported Outcome MeasuresPsychiatric Status Rating ScalesPsychometricsQuality of LifeSchizophreniaHumansReproducibility of Resultsquality of lifescaleschizophreniavalidation

Identifiers

PMID39036973
PMCPMC12236313

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.