Family quality of life of Australian families with a member with an intellectual/developmental disability.
Add two support-type items to the FQOLS-2006 and let families tell you exactly where help is needed most.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Grindle et al. (2012) asked Australian families who have a member with intellectual or developmental disability to fill out the Family Quality of Life Survey-2006.
They wanted to know which life areas families value most and how satisfied they feel with each one.
No treatment was given; parents simply rated domains like family relationships, money, and support.
What they found
Families said every domain was important, but their happiness scores varied.
They felt best about family relationships and worst about financial well-being.
Emotional support reached higher satisfaction than practical hands-on help.
How this fits with other research
Falcomata et al. (2012) narrative review shows the FQOLS-2006 grew out of a shift from “individual” to “whole-family” thinking; F et al. now supply real-world Australian data that feed that story.
Leaf et al. (2012) factor study trimmed the survey by dropping Importance and Stability subscales; F et al. keep those items, so you can compare both versions and pick the shorter one for routine use.
Milane et al. (2025) found only 27 % of Spanish Wolf-Hirschhorn families feel globally satisfied, while F et al. show milder unmet needs in an Australian ID/DD sample—same tool, different disability and culture, so severity and context matter.
Alnahdi et al. (2025) also report emotional well-being as the lowest domain for Arab mothers, matching the Australian money concern—support strategies must target the domain each culture scores lowest.
Why it matters
Use the FQOLS-2006 plus a quick “practical vs emotional support” checklist during intake. Ask caregivers to circle the domain they score lowest; start services there first. This five-minute step turns a broad survey into an actionable treatment priority list.
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Join Free →Hand the FQOLS-2006 to the parent, highlight the money and emotional-wellbeing rows, and ask which one they want tackled first.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Family quality of life (FQOL) is a recent concept in intellectual/developmental disability research. Outcomes for the family are important to the provision of services because families, rather than institutions, are increasingly considered the primary support unit. This article presents Australian findings using the international Family Quality of Life Survey: Main Caregivers of People with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities (FQOLS-2006). METHOD: Forty-two South Australian main caregivers of people with an intellectual/developmental disability were interviewed using the FQOLS-2006. The FQOL domains assessed were Health of the Family, Financial Well-being, Family Relationships, Support from Other People, Support from Disability-Related Services, Influence of Values, Careers, Leisure and Recreation, and Community Interaction. Domains were measured in terms of Importance, Opportunities, Attainment, Initiative, Stability and Satisfaction. The FQOLS-2006 asked about the family's practical and emotional Support from Other People together, whereas the current study separated the constructs of practical and emotional support. Questions pertaining to FQOL in the past were also added, in order to gain a broader picture of present FQOL. RESULTS: Results indicated that families considered all the FQOL domains to be important. However, Health, Family Relationships and Financial Well-being were regarded as slightly more important than Practical and Emotional Support from Others. The attainment of Family Relationships, Health, Values, and Leisure and Recreation were rated as quite a bit, but Practical Support from Other People was only rated as a little. Families were generally satisfied with all FQOL domains, but they were satisfied with their Family Relationships and they were neither satisfied or dissatisfied with their Financial Well-being. Results also indicated that there was a need to distinguish between the provision of practical and emotional support from others, because the attainment of emotional support was rated at a slightly higher level than practical support. CONCLUSIONS: The FQOLS-2006 provided a comprehensive measure of FQOL, which, with some additional modifications, could be used to better inform service provisions and ultimately enhance the quality of life of people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2012 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2011.01462.x