Implications for quality of life research in Latino populations.

Assessing cross-cultural equivalence in quality of life (QOL) measures is important with Latino populations. It can be argued that Latino culture influences responses on QOL instruments that may be insensitive to detecting cultural differences. Although qualitative methods are predominately used in exploring cultural phenomena, structural equation modeling (SEM) is suggested as a method for assessing cultural invariance. This method provides confidence that response differences are based on actual differences rather than on interpretations of QOL instruments. SEM may reveal other, more nebulous characteristics of Latino culture that influence the conceptualization of QOL and responses on measures aimed at quantifying it.