Evidence is provided here for the reliability and validity of the SQLS, a novel schizo-phrenia-specific QoL measure. Content validity has been addressed by developing items on the basis of in-depth interviews, rather than relying on the literature or clinical scales in this field. The content of the questionnaire addresses experiences of importance to individuals with the disorder. Items that were criticised by respondents as being meaningless or ambiguous were removed. Internal consistency reliabilities of the three scale domains incorporated in the measure have been shown to be high, and all items in each scale correlate well with the overall scale score. Construct validity was explored by correlation of the scales of the SQLS with established psychiatric self-report measures and the SF-36. Results suggest that the measure is addressing areas related, but not identical, to those of previously existing measures.