Health promotion, wellness programs, quality of life and the marketing of psychology.

This paper focusses on 15 yrs of research into the definition of quality of life and the factors that influence it. Four studies with 3 samples of 780 residents of London, Ontario, are presented. Results suggest (1) that different measures of global quality of life and well being are measuring essentially the same thing; (2) that there may be some basis for viewing the mental health component measure on the SF-36 Health Survey as highly indicative of quality of life; and (3) that important psychological factors contributing to health and quality of life include such personality factors as hardiness, self-esteem, optimism, locus of control, and extraversion. The application of the research to health promotion and the development of wellness programs is discussed. A strategy to enhance quality of life using the Quality of Life Questionnaire, and group interventions to enhance specific personality characteristics are described. The current research program is used as a case study to demonstrate some of the factors that contribute to the invisibility of psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)