SpringerLink
Log in

Overlap of Depressive Symptoms with Health-Related Quality-of-Life Measures

  • Current Opinion
  • Published:
PharmacoEconomics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Because depressive symptoms are a part of health-related quality-of-life (HRQOL) measures, measures of depression will be empirically associated with HRQOL. We discuss examples of published research where authors ignored or did not fully account for overlap between depressive symptom and HRQOL measures. Future researchers need to recognize when their models include conceptually similar variables on the same side or both sides of the equation. This awareness will lead to more accurate conclusions about the prognostic value of depression and other HRQOL measures for health care utilization, mortality, and other outcomes. It will also result in fewer incorrect claims about the effect of depression on HRQOL.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Carlton J, Peasgood T, Khan S, et al. An emerging framework for fully incorporating public involvement (PI) into patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). J Patient Rep Outcomes. 2020;4:4.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  2. Hays RD, Fayers P. Evaluating multi-item scales. In: Fayers P, Hays RD, editors. Assessing quality of life in clinical trials: methods and practice. 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; 2005. p. 41–53.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Fayers PM, Machin D. Quality of life: the assessment, analysis and interpretation of patient-reported outcomes. 3rd ed. Chichester: Wiley; 2016.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Hays RD. Response 1 to Reeve’s chapter: applying Item response theory for questionnaire evaluation. In: Madans J, Miller K, Maitland A, Willis G, editors. Question evaluation methods: contributing to the science of data quality. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley; 2011. p. 125–35.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  5. Cella D, Choi SW, Condon DM, Schalet B, Hays RD, Rothrock NE, et al. PROMIS® adult health profiles: efficient short-form measures of seven health domains. Value Health. 2019;22:537–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Katschnig H, Angermeyer M. Quality of life in depression. Quality of life in mental disorders. New York: Wiley; 1997. p. 137–47.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Berlim MT, Fleck MP. Quality of life and major depression. In: Ritsner MS, Awad AG, editors. Quality of life impairment in schizophrenia, mood and anxiety disorders. Springer: Dordrecht; 2007. p. 241–52.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  8. Okunrintemi V, Valero-Elizondo Micos ED, Salami JA, et al. Association of depression risk with patient experience, healthcare experience, and health resource utilization among adults with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. J Gen Intern Med. 2019;34:2427–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Olson B, Vincent W, Meyer JP, Kershaw T, Sikkema KJ, Heckman TG, et al. Depressive symptoms, physical symptoms, and health-related quality of life among older adults with HIV. Qual Life Res. 2019;28:3313–22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Hays RD, Marshall GN, Wang EYI, Sherbourne CD. Four-year cross-lagged associations between physical and mental health in the Medical Outcomes Study. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1994;62:441–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. de Alencar SBV, Dias LDA, Dias VDA, de Lima FM, Montarroyos UR, del Petribo KCL. Quality of life may be a more valuable prognostic factor than depression in older hemodialysis patients. Qual Life Res. 2020;29:1829–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. de Alencar SBV, de Lima FM, Dias LDA, Dias VDA, Lessa AC, Bezerra JM, et al. Depression and quality of life in older adults on hemodialysis. Braz J Psychiatry. 2020;42:195–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Wang J, Xue J, Jiang Y, Zhu T, Chen S. Mediating effects of depressive symptoms on social support and quality of life among rural older Chinese. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2020;18:242.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Evans S, Banerjee S, Leese M, Huxley P. The impact of mental illness on quality of life: a comparison of severe mental illness, common mental disorder and healthy population samples. Qual Life Res. 2007;2007(16):17–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Lopes GB, Matos CM, Leite EB, Martins MTS, Martins MS, Silva LF, et al. Depression as a potential explanation for gender differences in health-related quality of life among patients on maintenance hemodialysis. Nephron Clin Pract. 2010;115:c35–40.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Engel L, Chen G, Richardson J, Mihalopoulos C. The impact of depression on health-related quality of life and wellbeing identifying important dimensions and assessing their inclusion in multi-attribute utility instruments. Qual Life Res. 2018;27:2873–84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Gaynes BN, Burns BJ, Tweed DL, Erickson P. Depression and health-related quality of life. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2002;190:799–806.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Jia H, Lubetkin EI. Incremental decreases in quality-adjusted life years (QALY) associated with higher levels of depressive symptoms for US adults aged 65 years and older. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2017;15:9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Hays RD, Reeve BB, Smith AW, Clauser SB. Associations of cancer and other chronic medical conditions with SF-6D preference-based scores in Medicare beneficiaries. Qual Life Res. 2014;23:385–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  20. Hays RD, Wells KB, Sherbourne CB, Rogers WH, Spritzer K. Functioning and well-being outcomes of patients with depression compared to chronic general medical illness. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1995;52:11–9.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Berghöfer A, Martin L, Hense S, Weinmann S, Roll S. Quality of life in patients with several mental illness: a cross-sectional survey in an integrated outpatient health care model. Qual Life Res. 2020;29:2073–87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Behall M, Legall G, Kahn K. Quality of life among patients with cardiac disease: The impact of comorbid depression. Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2020;18:189.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Bian W, Wan J, Tan M, Su J, Yuan Y, Wang Z, Li S. Predictors of health-related quality of life in Chinese patients receiving treatment for neovascular age-related macular degeneration: a prospective longitudinal study. BMC Ophthalmol. 2020;20:291.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Brenes GA. Anxiety, depression, and quality of life in primary care patients. Prim Care Companion J Clin Psychiatry. 2007;9:437–43.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Daly EJ, Trivedi MH, Wisniewski SR, Nierenberg AA, Gaynes BN, Warden D, et al. Health-related quality of life in depression: a STAR*D report. Ann Clin Psychiatry. 2010;2010(22):43–55.

    Google Scholar 

  26. Doi T, Nakamoto H, Nakajima K, Hirai S, Sato Y, Kato S, et al. Effect of depression and anxiety on health-related quality of life outcomes and patient satisfaction after surgery for cervical compressive myelopathy. J Neurosurg Spine. 2019;31:816–23.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Gu W, Xu YM, Zhu J-H, Zhong B-L. Depression and its impact on health-related quality of life among Chinese inpatients with lung cancer. Oncotaret. 2017;8:104806–12.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Ron D. Hays

  2. Institute of Applied Health Sciences, King’s College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK

    Peter M. Fayers

Authors
  1. Ron D. Hays
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Peter M. Fayers
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ron D. Hays.

Ethics declarations

Funding

R. Hays received support from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research Center for Health Improvement of Minority Elderly (RCMAR/CHIME) under NIH/NIA Grant P30-AG021684.

Conflict of interest/competing interests

The authors, Ron D. Hays and Peter M. Fayers, report no conflicts of interest.

Availability of data and material

Not applicable.

Code availability

Not applicable

Authors’ contributions

RH created the first draft, and PF edited that and subsequent drafts.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Hays, R.D., Fayers, P.M. Overlap of Depressive Symptoms with Health-Related Quality-of-Life Measures. PharmacoEconomics 39, 627–630 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40273-020-00972-w

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40273-020-00972-w

Search

Navigation