Comorbid generalized anxiety disorder and its association with quality of life in patients with major depressive disorder
Open Access
- 18 January 2017
- journal article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Scientific Reports
- Vol. 7 (1), 40511
- https://doi.org/10.1038/srep40511
Abstract
The comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) is common and often predicts poorer outcomes than either disorder alone. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of comorbid GAD and its association with quality of life (QOL) among MDD patients. A total of 1225 psychiatric outpatients were screened using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Those who scored ≥8 on the HADS were interviewed using DSM-IV criteria by two senior psychiatrists. Patients diagnosed with MDD were further assessed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, Social Support Rating Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and World Health Organization QOL Scale, brief version (WHOQOL-BREF). Ultimately, 667 patients were diagnosed with MDD, of 71.7% of whom had GAD. Compared to those with MDD alone, comorbid patients had lower scores on the physical (38.64 ± 10.35 vs.36.54 ± 12.32, P = 0.026) and psychological (35.54 ± 12.98 vs. 30.61 ± 14.66, P < 0.001) domains of the WHOQOL-BREF. The association between comorbid GAD and poor QOL on the two domains remained statistically significant in the multiple linear regression (unstandardized coefficients: −1.97 and −4.65, P < 0.001). In conclusion, the prevalence of comorbid GAD in MDD patients is high, and co-occurring GAD may exacerbate impaired physical and psychological QOL in Chinese MDD patients.This publication has 50 references indexed in Scilit:
- Depression, anxiety and their comorbidity in the Swedish general population: point prevalence and the effect on health-related quality of lifePeerJ, 2013
- Predictors of quality of life in a longitudinal study of users with severe mental disordersHealth and Quality of Life Outcomes, 2013
- Psychiatric Comorbidity and Functioning in a Clinically Referred Population of Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Comparative StudyJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 2012
- Mood disorders and quality of life. A community studyNordic Journal of Psychiatry, 2009
- A psychometric evaluation of the Chinese version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale in patients with coronary heart diseaseJournal of Clinical Nursing, 2009
- Mental disorders, comorbidity and suicidal behavior: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey ReplicationMolecular Psychiatry, 2009
- Quality of life in the anxiety disorders: A meta-analytic reviewClinical Psychology Review, 2007
- Quality-of-Life Impairment in Depressive and Anxiety DisordersAmerican Journal of Psychiatry, 2005
- The PHQ-9Journal of General Internal Medicine, 2001
- Current and lifetime comorbidity of the DSM-IV anxiety and mood disorders in a large clinical sample.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 2001