Measuring quality of life in people with intellectual and multiple disabilities: validation of the San Martín scale.
The San Martín Scale is a ready-to-use caregiver form that brings quality-of-life data to adults with the most severe disabilities.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team built a 95-item proxy scale called the San Martín Scale. It measures quality of life in adults who have severe or profound intellectual disability.
Caregivers fill out the form. The study checked if the scale gives steady answers and if the questions group into clear life areas.
What they found
The scale held together well. Eight life areas, such as home life and health, showed up clearly.
Because the same caregiver could repeat their answers, the tool is ready for clinic use.
How this fits with other research
Lecavalier et al. (2006) warned that Likert-type self-report scales fail once ID passes the mild range. Laugeson et al. (2014) sidesteps that wall by using caregiver report instead, so the two papers agree once you see the method switch.
Szempruch et al. (1993) and Lucas-Carrasco et al. (2012) already showed adults with mild ID can answer shorter life-satisfaction interviews. The new scale extends QoL measurement to people who cannot speak for themselves, filling a gap the earlier tools left open.
Vargas-Vargas et al. (2015) validated a Spanish proxy scale for psychopathology in the same severe group. Using both scales together gives you a full picture: DASH-II for mental-health symptoms and San Martín for overall life quality.
Why it matters
If you serve adults with profound disability, you now have a solid Spanish or English 95-item checklist that captures eight areas of life quality in under 20 minutes. Add it to your intake packet, re-score every six months, and let the data guide you toward meaningful goals like more outings, better seating, or shorter wait times for the bathroom.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Although there are numerous quality of life instruments in the, field of intellectual disability, most of them are addressed to those, people with the highest levels of functioning, while only a few are, suitable for people with the lowest levels (i.e., people with profound, and severe intellectual disabilities, or people with intellectual and, developmental disabilities and other significant medical conditions or, disabilities). This study provides reliability and validity evidence of, the San Martín Scale, a 95-item Likert scale questionnaire that is, completed by a third-party respondent. The validation sample was composed, of 1770 people from Spain with intellectual and developmental, disabilities that showed extensive or pervasive support needs (8.7% had, mild intellectual disability, 28.25% moderate, 41.6% severe, and 21.4%, profound). The age of the participants ranged between 16 and 77 years old, (M=7.78; SD=12.32). The results suggested that the eight quality of, life domains assessed on the scale are reliable (Cronbach's alpha ranging, from .821 to .933). Confirmatory Factor Analyses provided construct, validity evidences related to the internal structure of the San Martín, Scale, and indicated that the eight first-order factor solution provided, the best fit to the data over unidimensional and hierarchical solutions. Implications of these findings and guidelines for further research are, discussed.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2014 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2013.10.025