Faculty Mentor(s)

Dr. Houston Thompson

Project Type

EdD Colloquium - ONU

Scholarship Domain(s)

Scholarship of Discovery, Scholarship of Community Application

Presentation Type

Presentation

Abstract

Quality of Life (QOL) is a complex construct. The purpose of this study was to explore potential correlates with rural residents’ perceived QOL to promote an increase in the QOL of rural residents. This quantitative study explored questions regarding possible correlations between QOL and sense of community and QOL and accessibility of community resources, as well as explored what type of resource participants viewed as the most difficult to access. Participants included 199 adults residing in one of three selected, mostly-rural counties in Illinois, Indiana, or Michigan. A survey was administered via SurveyMonkey, mailed questionnaire, or in-person via paper-pencil completion. The survey combined the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment Brief (WHOQOL-BREF), the Sense of Community Index 2 (SCI-2), and the Accessibility of Community Resources Scale (ACRS). Data analysis included correlational analyses and repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA). A statistically significant correlation, r(180) = .27, p < .05, was found between QOL and Sense of Community. A statistically significant relationship between QOL and accessibility of resources was found only for the Michigan county. Support was found for statistically significant differences in the access level of the different types of community resources, with employment being the most difficult to access. In light of results, rural communities may wish to enhance efforts aimed at bolstering sense of community and increasing employment accessibility in order to potentially enhance the QOL of residents.

Permission Type

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Included in

Social Work Commons

Share

COinS
 
Apr 6th, 10:10 AM Apr 6th, 10:30 AM

INCREASING QUALITY OF LIFE FOR RURAL RESIDENTS

Wisner Auditorium

Quality of Life (QOL) is a complex construct. The purpose of this study was to explore potential correlates with rural residents’ perceived QOL to promote an increase in the QOL of rural residents. This quantitative study explored questions regarding possible correlations between QOL and sense of community and QOL and accessibility of community resources, as well as explored what type of resource participants viewed as the most difficult to access. Participants included 199 adults residing in one of three selected, mostly-rural counties in Illinois, Indiana, or Michigan. A survey was administered via SurveyMonkey, mailed questionnaire, or in-person via paper-pencil completion. The survey combined the World Health Organization Quality of Life assessment Brief (WHOQOL-BREF), the Sense of Community Index 2 (SCI-2), and the Accessibility of Community Resources Scale (ACRS). Data analysis included correlational analyses and repeated measures analyses of variance (ANOVA). A statistically significant correlation, r(180) = .27, p < .05, was found between QOL and Sense of Community. A statistically significant relationship between QOL and accessibility of resources was found only for the Michigan county. Support was found for statistically significant differences in the access level of the different types of community resources, with employment being the most difficult to access. In light of results, rural communities may wish to enhance efforts aimed at bolstering sense of community and increasing employment accessibility in order to potentially enhance the QOL of residents.