Loss of interest, depressed mood and impact on the quality of life: Cross-sectional survey

• Main Authors: Gattaz Wagner F, Tardivo Leila SLPC, Martins Milton A, Menezes Paulo R, Lucia Mara CS, Henriques Sérgio G, Souza Bruno PF, Guajardo Valeri D, Fráguas Renério
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2011-10-01
• Series: BMC Public Health
• Online Access: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/11/826

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Depressive symptoms and chronic disease have adverse effects on patients' health-related quality of life (H-RQOL). However, little is known about this effect on H-RQOL when only the two core depressive symptoms - loss of interest and depressed mood - are considered. The objective of this study is to investigate H-RQOL in the presence of loss of interest and depressed mood at a general medical outpatient unit.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We evaluated 553 patients at their first attendance at a general medical outpatient unit of a teaching hospital. H-RQOL was assessed with the <it>Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey </it>(SF-36). Depressed mood and loss of interest were assessed by the <it>Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders </it>(PRIME-MD)-Patient Questionnaire. A physician performed the diagnosis of chronic diseases by clinical judgment and classified them in 13 possible pre-defined categories. We used multiple linear regression to investigate associations between each domain of H-RQOL and our two core depression symptoms. The presence of chronic diseases and demographic variables were included in the models as covariates.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Among the 553 patients, 70.5% were women with a mean age of 41.0 years (range 18-85, SD ± 15.4). Loss of interest was reported by 54.6%, and depressed mood by 59.7% of the patients. At least one chronic disease was diagnosed in 59.5% of patients; cardiovascular disease was the most prevalent, affecting 20.6% of our patients. Loss of interest and depressed mood was significantly associated with decreased scores in all domains of H-RQOL after adjustment for possible confounders. The presence of any chronic disease was associated with a decrease in the domain of vitality. The analysis of each individual chronic disease category revealed that no category was associated with a decrease in more than one domain of H-RQOL.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Loss of interest and depressed mood were associated with significant decreases in H-RQOL. We recommend these simple tests for screening in general practice.</p>