The Concept of Quality of Life in Psychology and Medicine

Relevance. Even though at present there is a lot of scientific research on the quality of life (QOL) of patients of different nosological groups, there is practically no information about the development and formation of the concept of QOL in medical psychology. For a better understanding of different concepts of QOL, which are considered in the development of programs of psychological assistance to patients with somatic diseases, it is necessary to study the formation and development of QOL concepts. Therefore, the aim of the study is to examine the development of the concept of QOL in psychology and medicine - from antiquity to the present.

Methods. An analytical review of scientific literature devoted to the problem of PL was conducted. The following resources were used to search for relevant scientific literature: eLibrary.ru (mainly articles from the journals of the Higher Attestation Commission of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation), RusMed, PubMed, Springer, Google Scholar. Aspects of the development and formation of the concept of QOL in the periods of antiquity, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, and the New Age, through philosophical concepts related to medicine and psychology were comprehensively analyzed.

Results. In ancient times, different ideas were formed about how to achieve happiness and wellbeing: through the pursuit of self-improvement and conscious choice of values, harmony of soul and body, a good level of health and QOL was achieved. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, Christianity had a significant influence, emphasizing the importance of spiritual salvation and care of the body, and Humanism brought new views on physical and emotional well-being and the fact that health care is an important part of human life, which influenced various spheres of life. In the 19th and early 20th century, Darwin’s theory influenced several sciences, including psychology and medicine, and led to a significant change in approaches in the human sciences. The sanitation movement was one of the key factors that influenced preventive medicine and the health care system, which is now reflected in modern concepts of QOL in psychology medicine. In the second half of the twentieth century, systematic studies of QOL began, and medicine began to pay attention not only to physical health, but also to psychological well-being. In the study of QOL, factors influencing the feeling of happiness and satisfaction began to be considered, and a pronounced interest in the mental health of a person was formed.

Conclusion. When considering the concept of QOL in medicine and psychology, it became clear that the study of QOL is not limited only to the assessment of symptoms and limitations caused by the disease and the treatment process. An individual approach to each patient is assumed, taking into account all aspects of human existence on which his/her health depends, which should be taken into account when providing psychological assistance to patients with somatic diseases in the process of treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of the disease. 

1. Vasserman L.I., Trifonova E.A. Diskussionnye voprosy kontseptualizatsii i metodologii issledovaniya kachestva zhizni v meditsine [Methodological issues in quality of life research in medicine]. Sibirskii psikhologicheskii zhurnal [Siberian Journal of Psychology]. 2007; (26) 112–119. (In Russ.)

2. Vasserman L.I., Trifonova E.A. Gumanisticheskaya psikhologiya, kachestvo zhizni i tsennostnoe soznanie lichnosti [Humanistic psychology, quality of life and value consciousness of the personality]. Sibirskii psikhologicheskii zhurnal [Siberian Journal of Psychology]. 2011; (40) 129–135. (In Russ.)

3. Bondarchuk S.V., Ionova T.I, Odin V.I. [et al.]. Printsipy i metody issledovaniya kachestva zhizni v meditsine [Principles and methods of quality of life research in medicine]. Ed. V.V. Tyrenko. Sankt Peterburg, 2020. 102 p. (In Russ.)

4. Venediktova S.K., Gorbushina N.Yu., Murav’ev A.V. Analiz metodik otsenki kachestva zhizni naseleniya Rossii [Analysis and evaluation of the life quality of the population of russia]. Voprosy ekonomiki i prava [Economic and legal issues]. 2023; 11(185): 120–127. DOI: 10.14451/2.185.120 (In Russ.)

5. Gaidabrus N.V. Zapadnoevropeiskaya filosofiya ot Antichnosti do sovremennosti [Western European philosophy from Antiquity to the present]. Moscow, 2024. 100 p. (In Russ.)

6. Glushanko V.S., Gerberg A.A, Petrishche T.L. Istoriya meditsiny [History of medicine]. Ed. V.S. Glushanko. Vitebsk, 2023. 522 p. (In Russ.)

7. Gryaznova E.V., Ageeva E.L., Batrakova N.V. [et al.]. Kriterii kachestva zhizni, svyazannyi so zdorov’em: neobkhodimost’ razrabotki kak kategorii pedagogicheskoi nauki [The criterion of quality of life related to health: the need to develop as a category of pedagogical science]. Azimut nauchnykh issledovanii: pedagogika i psikhologiya [Azimuth of Scientific Research: Pedagogy and Psychology]. 2020; 9(30): 250–253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.26140/anip-2020-0901-0059 (In Russ.)

8. Dudarev S.L. K voprosu o kategorii bolezni v srednevekovoi kul’ture [On the category of disease in medieval culture]. Gumanitarnye i yuridicheskie issledovaniya [Humanities and law research]. 2017; (2) 47–51. (In Russ.)

9. D’yakovich M.P., Rukavishnikov V.S., Kazakova P.V. [et al.]. Kachestvo zhizni, svyazannoe so zdorov’em: otsenka i upravlenie [Health-related quality of life: assessment and management]. Irkutsk, 2012. 168 s. (In Russ.)

10. Evsina O.V. Kachestvo zhizni v meditsine – vazhnyi pokazatel’ sostoyaniya zdorov’ya patsienta (obzor literatury) [The quality of life in medicine – an important indicator of patient health status (review)]. Lichnost’ v menyayushchemsya mire: zdorov’e, adaptatsiya, razvitie [Personality in a changing world: health, adaptation, development]. 2013; (1(1)) 119–133. (In Russ.)

11. Eremyan Z.A., Shchelkova O.Yu. Istoriya stanovleniya i razvitiya kontseptsii kachestva zhizni v meditsine [The concept of quality of life in medicine]. Psikhologiya. Psikhofiziologiya [Psychology. Psychophysiology]. 2022; 15(1): 37–49. DOI: 10.14529/jpps220104 (In Russ.)

12. Ionova T.I. Znachenie issledovaniya kachestva zhizni v sovremennom zdravookhranenii [Value of quality of life assessment in health care]. Kachestvo i zhizn’ [Quality and life]. 2019; (1(21)) 3–8. (In Russ.)

13. Kaluzhskii AD. Ob otsenke kachestva zhizni cheloveka [About an evaluation of the quality of human life]. Zdorov’e – osnova chelovecheskogo potentsiala: problemy i puti ikh resheniya [Health is the basis of human potential: problems and solutions]. 2015; 10(1): 293–294. (In Russ.)

14. Kaunova E.V. Filosofiya zdorov’ya v Antichnosti [Philosophy of health in the antiquity]. Istoricheskie, filosofskie, politicheskie i yuridicheskie nauki, kul’turologiya i iskusstvovedenie. Voprosy teorii i praktiki [Historical, Philosophical, Political and Law Sciences, Culturology and Study of Art. Issues of Theory and Practice]. 2015; (1-1(51)) 65–69. (In Russ.)

15. Klement’ev P.A. Otsenka issledovaniya kachestva zhizni [Evaluation of the quality of life study]. Regional’naya i otraslevaya ekonomika [Regional and sectoral economics]. 2021; (1) 10–15. (In Russ.)

16. Kozlova M.S. Osobennosti izucheniya evolyutsii cheloveka na raznykh istoricheskikh etapakh [Features of the study of human evolution at different historical stages]. Istoriko-biologicheskie issledovaniya [Istoriko-biologicheskie issledovaniya]. 2019; 11(1): 60–76. (In Russ.)

17. Lebedeva A.A. Teoreticheskie podkhody i metodologicheskie problemy izucheniya kachestva zhizni v naukakh o cheloveke [Theoretical approaches and methodological issues of life quality research in human sciences]. Psikhologiya. Zhurnal Vysshei shkoly ekonomiki [Psychology. Journal of the Higher School of Economics]. 2012; 9(2): 3–19. (In Russ.)

18. Lebedeva A.A., Leont’ev D.A. Sovremennye podkhody k izucheniyu kachestva zhizni: ot ob”ektivnykh kontekstov k sub”ektivnym [Contemporary approaches to the quality of life: from objective contexts to subjective ones]. Sotsial’naya psikhologiya i obshchestvo [Social Psychology and Society]. 2022; 13(4): 142–162. DOI:10.17759/sps.2022130409 (In Russ.)

19. Lityagina E.V. Psikhologicheskie aspekty kachestva zhizni [Psychological aspects of quality of life]. Samara, 2023. 96 p. (In Russ.)

20. Lubyanyi I.D. Evolyutsiya podkhodov k analizu kategorii “Kachestvo zhizni” [Evolution of “Quality of Life” analysis approaches]. Upravlenie ekonomicheskimi sistemami: elektronnyi nauchnyi zhurnal [Management of economic systems: electronic scientific journal]. 2015; (2(74)): 45. (In Russ.)

21. Magomedov Sh.Sh. Filosofiya kachestva zhizni: monografiya [Philosophy of quality of life: a monograph]. Dagestanskii gosudarstvennyi universitet narodnogo khozyaistva. Makhachkala, 2017. 115 p. (In Russ.)

22. Mirgorodskii A.A. Problema cheloveka v kontseptsii Avreliya Avgustina [the human problem is in the concept Aurelia Augustina]. Kul’tura i tsivilizatsiya (Donetsk) [Culture and Civilization]. 2023; (2(18)) 35–42. (In Russ.)

23. Novik A.A., Ionova T.I. Rukovodstvo po issledovaniyu kachestva zhizni v meditsine [Guidelines for the study of quality of life in medicine]. Moscow. 2012. 52 p. (In Russ.)

24. Perel’man N.L. Istoriya i metodologicheskie osnovaniya predstavlenii o kachestve zhizni [History and methodological basics of quality of life conceptions]. Byulleten’ fiziologii i patologii dykhaniya [Bulletin of physiology and pathology of respiration]. 2019; (72): 112–119. DOI: 10.12737/article_5d0ad216a56793.64561711 (In Russ.)

25. Petrova L.A. Tema schast’ya i radosti v antichnoi kul’ture i khristianskoi traditsii: spetsial’nost’ [The theme of happiness and joy in ancient culture and Christian tradition: specialty]: dissertation PhD. Filosof. Sci. St. Peterburg, 2017. 157 p. (In Russ.)

26. Ponomareva I.V. Gumanizm v kontekste istorii razvitiya meditsiny i vrachevaniya [Humanism in the context of the history of medicine and healing]. Gumanizatsiya sovremennoi filosofii i gumanitarizatsiya obshchestvennykh nauk: materialy nauchnoi konferentsii, Ekaterinburg, 17–18 maya 2018 / Ed. V.E. Kemerova, D.A. Tomil’tsevoi. Ekaterinburg, 2018: 112–115. (In Russ.)

27. Pushkar’ D.Yu., D’yakov V.V., Bernikov A.N. Kachestvo zhizni – novaya paradigma meditsiny [Quality of life is a new paradigm of medicine]. Farmateka [Farmateka]. 2005; (11): 15–16. (In Russ.)

28. Ryakhova E.V. Psikhologicheskii analiz kachestva zhizni [Psychological analysis of the quality of life]. Vestnik magistratury [Vestnik Magistratury]. 2015; 2(41): 49–51. (In Russ.)

29. Sokorina T.S. Istoriya meditsiny [History of medicine]. Moscow, 2009. 560 p. (In Russ.)

30. Spiridonov S.P. Indikatory kachestva zhizni i metodologii ikh formirovaniya [Life quality indicators and methodology of their development]. Voprosy sovremennoi nauki i praktiki. Universite im. V.I.Vernadskogo [Problems of Contemporary Science and Practice. Vernadsky University]. 2010; (10-12(31)): 208–223. (In Russ.)

31. Stepin V. Novaya filosofskaya entsiklopediya [The New Philosophical Encyclopedia]. Moscow, 2010. 2: 634. (In Russ.)

32. Tatarkevich V. Istoriya filosofii [History and philosophy]. per. V.N. Kvaskov. Perm’, 2000. 482 p. (In Russ.)

33. Khabibova M.M., Babaeva Z.A., Dibraev A.D. Filosofiya i sovremennaya meditsina s antichnosti do sovremennosti [Philosophy and modern medicine from antiquity to the present]. Kontekst i refleksiya: filosofiya o mire i cheloveke [Context and Reflection: Philosophy of the World and Human Being]. 2023; 12(9A): 109–113. DOI: 10/34670/ar.2023.71.29.016 (In Russ.)

34. Chaldyshkina M.V. Filosofskii, kul’turnyi i meditsinskii kontekst ponyatiya «kachestvo zhizni. [Philosophical, cultural and medical context of the concept of “quality of life”]. Vestnik Omskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta. Gumanitarnye issledovaniya [Review of Omsk State Pedagogical University. Humanitarian research]. 2021; (2(31)): 66–70. DOI: 10.36809/2309-9380-2021-31-66-70 (In Russ.)

35. Banham, D., Karnon, J., Lynch, J. Health related quality of life (HRQoL) among Aboriginal South Australians: a perspective using survey-based health utility estimates. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2019; 17: 39. DOI:10.1186/s12955-019-1107-z

36. De Silva Sh., Chan N., Esposito K. [et al.]. Psychometric properties of health-related quality of life instruments used in survivors of critical illness: a systematic review. Quality of Life Research. 2024; 33(1): 17–29. DOI: 10.1007/s11136-023-03487-x.

37. Fumincelli L., Mazzo A., Martins J.C.A. [et al.]. Quality of life and ethics: A concept analysis. Nurs Ethics. 2019; 26(1): 61–70.

38. Graham M. C. Facts of Life: ten issues of contentment. Outskirts Press. 2014. 312 p.

39. Haraldstad K., Wahl A., Andenæs R. [et al.]. A systematic review of quality of life research in medicine and health sciences. Qual Life Res. 2019; 28: 2641–2650 doi.org/10.1007/s11136-019-02214-9

40. Luo R., Ji Y., Liu Y.H. [et al.]. Relationships among social support, coping style, self-stigma, and quality of life in patients with diabetic foot ulcer: A multicentre, cross-sectional study. Int Wound J. 2023; 20(3): 716–724. DOI: 10.1111/iwj.13914.

41. Marion D., Shogry S., Baltzly D. “Stoicism”, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy Edward N. Zalta & Uri Nodelman (eds.), Spring 2023. URL: https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/spr2023/entries/stoicism/

42. McGrath, Е.А. Christian Theology: An Introduction (5th ed.). Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. 2011. 30 p.

43. Medvedev O.N., Landhuis C.E. Exploring constructs of well-being, happiness and quality of life. Peer J. 2018; 1(6): e. 4903. DOI: 10.7717/peerj.4903. eCollection 2018.

44. Roy L.M., Neill A., Swampy K. [et al.]. Preference-based measures of health-related quality of life in Indigenous people: a systematic review. Qual Life Res. 2024; 33: 317–333. DOI:10.1007/s11136-023-03499-7

45. Ryff C.D. Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1989; 57(6): 1069–1081. DOI:10.1037/0022-3514.57.6.1069 46. Sirgy M.J., Michalos A.C., Ferris A.L. [et. al.]. The quality of life (QoL) research movement: past, present and future. Social Indicators Research. 2006; 76(3): 343–466. DOI: 10.1007/s11205-005-2877-8

46. Sirgy M.J. The psychology of quality of life. Dordrech; Boston; London: Kluwer Academic Publishers. 2010. 281 p. DOI:10.1007/978-94-015-9904-7

47. Tonon G. Qualitative studies in quality of life: Methodology and practice. Springer, 2016. ХXIII. 240 p. DOI:10.1007/978-3-319-13779-7

48. Ventoulis I., Kamperidis V., Abraham M.R. [et al.] Differences in Health-Related Quality of Life among Patients with Heart Failure. Medicina (Kaunas). 2024; 6(60): 109. DOI: 10.3390/medicina60010109.

49. Wilson F., Mabhala M. Key concepts in public health. SAGE Publications Ltd, 2009. 328 р. DOI:10.4135/9781446216736