Aging & Social Change: Tenth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

There are several conceptualisations of quality of life and what it means for individuals. This paper takes a specific approach to examine the quality of life by examining the work of Maslow (1961), Doyal and Gough (1991) basic human needs and Sen’s (1991) on the capability approach and including a life course perspective to the analysis of quality of life. This study examines CASP psychometric properties, then tests CASP and other instruments derived from the capability approach and life course studies to examine the predictors of quality of life in Karachi (Pakistan). The cross-cultural survey was conducted to assess the quality of life of 50+ older adults in Karachi, Pakistan. 100 participants from each low, middle, and high-income areas were selected using purposive sampling. CASP-17 showed good internal consistency. The outcome of this was that a CASP13 was eventually used to assess the quality of life as it shows a good model fit. The study found gender inequality decreases the quality of life. Social groups and education had a positive relationship with the quality of life, whereas financial constraints in later life decrease the quality of life. Moreover, the finding also suggested that social support and networking improves the quality of life. This study indicates that CASP13 is a valid and reliable tool to assess the quality of life of 50+ older adult in Karachi. Moreover, the findings of the study recommended the importance of developing policies at the state level within the government.