A comparison of care consumer and care provider perspectives on the quality of life of persons with persistent and severe psychiatric disabilities

Agreement on care consumer quality of life (QOL) in different life domains between persons with a psychiatric disability and their care providers was examined. The former persons tended to report higher QOL than their care providers and care providers and care consumers evinced limited agreement on actual care consumers' QOL and on the substance of care consumer QOL. Care providers' confidence in their judgment of care consumer QOL, but not duration of care provider-care consumer contact, was associated with more care provider-care consumer agreement. Thus, ways of increasing care providers' understanding of care consumers' perceptions of problems and goals should be investigated.