Preface

This book is a collection of chapters written by scientists from all over the world who provide their insights about quality of life, focusing on a biopsychosocial perspective. The quality-of-life concept was born in the field of social sciences beginning in the 1970s and soon arrived in the field of medicine and health where it is mainly considered as a guiding criterion for health interventions. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines quality of life as the subjective perception that individuals have of their position in life, in the context of the culture and value system in which they live, in relation to their objectives, expectations, reference standards, and worries. It is a complex and articulated concept. It is specified by the perception of one's physical, psychological, and emotional health, by the degree of independence, by social relations, and the type of interaction with one's context. The quality-of-life construct is broader than that of health; it is not a synonym of it. The definition from the WHO connects elements resulting from an enormous amount of studies. In this sense, being healthy is considered a dimension of quality of life, and health-facilitating behaviors are considered the predictors of the quality of life itself. The definition of quality of life always includes a reference to the individual physical state, but is no longer considered only on the basis of the person's functionality quality, detectable with standardized parameters, since they are described in relation to the degree of perceived satisfaction with respect to the functionality level. This definition shifts the emphasis from the scope of objectively definable functionality to that of subjectivity; the detection of both these aspects constitutes a reliable measure of the quality of life.

To focus on the complexity of this notion, this book is divided into six sections. The first section provides a global review with the chapter "Quality of Life and Biopsychosocial Paradigm: A Narrative Review of the Concept and Specific Insights" by Floriana Irtelli and Federico Durbano. The second section on "Health Psychology" contains two chapters: "Health Disparities" by Dr. Bey Ganga, and "Health Sexuality" by Prof. Rao T. S. Sathyanarayana. The third section on "Biological Perspectives" contains two chapters: "Effects of Exercise on Quality of Life of Type 2 Diabetes Patients" by Tomas Carus Pablo and "Quality of Life and Menopause" by Velasco Cesar. The fourth section on "Psychological Perspectives" contains three chapters: "Sport for the Subjective Dimensions of Quality of Life" by Peráčková Janca, "Behavioral and Psychosocial Factors as Mediators of the Oral Health Impact on Adolescents' Quality of Life" by Veronica Kozmhinsky, and "The Impacts of Parental Schizophrenia on the Psychosocial Well-being of Offspring: A Systematic Review" by Sabreena Hussain. The fifth section on "Social Perspectives" contains three chapters: "Quality of Life from the South: Local Knowledge and Socio-ecological Relationships in Times of Global Climate Change" by Rojas Hernández Jorge, "Services for Children with Disabilities and their Families: The Impact on the Family's Life Quality" by Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović, and "Socioeconomic and Demographic Characteristics of Living Conditions of Elderly Quilombolas from Maranhão, Northeast Region, Brazil" by Rafaela Macedo Pires Ferreira, Eriko Bruno Costa Barros, and Bruno Luciano Carneiro Alves de Oliveira. The final section on "Spiritual Perspective" contains one chapter divided into two parts: "Spirituality and Hansen's Disease: Spirituality' Conceptual Structure

**II**

**Section 4**

*and Mônica Heimer*

*by Sabreena Hussain*

**Section 5**

Psychological Perspectives **107**

**Chapter 6 109**

**Chapter 7 149**

**Chapter 8 161**

Social Perspectives **183**

**Chapter 9 185**

**Chapter 10 207**

**Chapter 11 219**

Spiritual Perspectives **233**

**Chapter 12 235**

**Chapter 13 249**

Sport for the Subjective Dimensions of Quality of Life

Behavioral and Psychosocial Factors as Mediators of the Oral Health Impact on Adolescents Quality of Life *by Samuel Veras, Verônica Kozmhinsky, Paulo Goes* 

The Impacts of Parental Schizophrenia on the Psychosocial

Socio-Ecological Relationships, and Citizen Participation in

Services for Children with Disabilities and Their Families:

Socioeconomic and Demographic Characteristics of Living Conditions of Elderly Quilombolas from Maranhão,

*and Bruno Luciano Carneiro Alves de Oliveira*

*by Rafaela Macedo Pires Ferreira, Eriko Bruno Costa Barros* 

Spirituality and Hansen's Disease: Spirituality' Conceptual

Spirituality and Hansen's Disease: Spirituality' Conceptual

*by Makiko Kondo, Mikako Yamaberi, Hitomi Yamao, Masato Muguruma,* 

*by Makiko Kondo, Mikako Yamaberi, Hitomi Yamao, Masato Muguruma,* 

Structure and Hansen's Disease History - Part One

Structure and Hansen's Disease History - Part Two

*Kayoko Furochi, Shiho Oka and Aiko Matsushita*

*Kayoko Furochi, Shiho Oka and Aiko Matsushita*

Well-Being of Offspring: A Systematic Review

Quality of Life from the South, Local Knowledge,

*by Jorge Rojas Hernández and Javier Lastra Bravo*

The Impact on the Family's Life Quality

Times of Global Climate Change

*by Tamara Džamonja Ignjatović*

Northeast Region, Brazil

**Section 6**

*by Janka Peráčková and Pavol Peráček*

and Hansen's Disease History - Part One" and "Spirituality and Hansen's Disease: Spirituality' Conceptual Structure and Hansen's Disease History - Part Two" by Makiko Kondo, Mikako Yamabery, Hitomi Yamao, Masato Muguruma, Kayoko Furochi, Shiho Oka, and Aiko Matsushita.

The book adopts a perspective that respects the complexity of human beings, with a focus on biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of the concept of quality of life. All themes in each section of the book are deeply connected, making for a complex and interesting volume.

> **Floriana Irtelli** Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan, Italy

Italian Relationship Psychoanalysis Society, Milan, Italy

International Association for Relational Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy, New York, USA
