Health-related Quality of Life across the anxiety disorders: findings from a sample of primary care patients

J Anxiety Disord. 2010 Aug;24(6):559-64. doi: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2010.03.015. Epub 2010 Apr 2.

Abstract

Previous studies have not compared Health-related Quality of Life (HR-QoL) across all DSM-IV anxiety disorders and comorbid conditions. We compared the effects of each anxiety disorder on HR-QoL, controlling for demographic variables, medical conditions, and comorbid Axis I disorders. Data are obtained from the Primary Care Anxiety Project (PCAP), a naturalistic, longitudinal study of anxiety disorders in 539 primary care patients. Each of the anxiety disorders was associated with worse self-reported physical and mental functioning compared to general population means. While all of the anxiety disorders were univariate predictors of specific domains of HR-QoL, only presence of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and comorbid Depressive Disorder (MDD) uniquely predicted worse functioning on both self-report and interview measures. The current study extends previous research by showing that different anxiety disorders and comorbid conditions may be associated with impairment in specific domains of HR-QoL.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Anxiety Disorders / complications
  • Anxiety Disorders / diagnosis
  • Anxiety Disorders / psychology*
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / complications
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / diagnosis
  • Depressive Disorder, Major / psychology
  • Female
  • Health Status*
  • Health Surveys
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Quality of Life / psychology*
  • Severity of Illness Index
  • Social Adjustment
  • Substance-Related Disorders / complications
  • Substance-Related Disorders / diagnosis
  • Substance-Related Disorders / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires