Depression correlates with quality of life in people with epilepsy independent of the measures used
Abstract
Purpose A number of studies have suggested that depressed mood is one of the most important predictors of quality of life (QoL) in patients with epilepsy. However, the QoL measure used in previous studies was limited to the Quality of Life in Epilepsy (QOLIE) scales. It could be questioned whether correlation of QOLIE with measures of depression is influenced by the properties of the instruments used rather than being a valid effect. By using visual analogue scales, the current study aimed to clarify whether depression and QoL are truly correlated in patients with epilepsy.Methods Data from a sample of 261 outpatients with epilepsy attending the Epilepsy Clinics of the Atkinson Morley Outpatient Department, St George's Hospital in London, were analyzed. Patients were screened using the European Quality-of-Life scale (EQ-5D-3L) which includes an overall visual analogue score (EQ-VAS), the Emotional Thermometer (ET7), the Beck Depression inventory-II (BDI-II), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HADS), and the Major Depression inventory (MDI).Results Depression was found to significantly correlate with EQ-VAS score with r coefficient ranging from 0.42 to 0.51 and r(2) coefficients ranging between 0.18 and 0.26. In addition, we identified patients who were depressed according to DSM-IV criteria (MD) and those with atypical forms of depression (AD). The EQ-5D-3L scores in these subjects compared with those without depression (ND) showed a different impact of AD and MD on QoL.Conclusions The relationship between depression and QoL in people with epilepsy has been demonstrated to be a robust and valid effect, not a result of potential bias of the specific measures used. However, the strength of the association is influenced by the individual instrument. Atypical or subsyndromic forms of depression are as relevant as DSM-based depression in terms of impact on QoL.
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There is a strong inverse correlation between QoL and depressive symptoms.
“This finding is in accordance with the literature,56-60 which reports that there is a strong inverse correlation between QoL and depressive symptoms.”
From Improved quality of life and reduced depressive symptoms in medical students after a single-session intervention (2020) · cites this paper as [56]
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Self-citation
- Authors
- Agrawal, N., Bird, J. S., von Oertzen, T. J., Cock, H., Mitchell, A. J., & Mula, M.
- Affiliations
- St George's Hospital (GB)
- University of Leicester (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Agrawal, Niruj
- Venue
- Epilepsy & Behavior
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2016-09
- Volume
- 62
- Pages
- 246-250
- ISSN
- 1525-5050 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2479143736
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 4 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3
- FWCI
- 3.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Epilepsy & Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- St George's Online Research Archive (St George's University of London) (acceptedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Epilepsy research and treatment
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Anxiety, Depression, Psychometrics, Treatment, Cognitive Processes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Health and Well-being Studies
- Keywords
- epilepsy, depression, quality of life, EQ-5D-3L, visual analogue scale, atypical depression, subthreshold depression, major depressive disorder, instrument bias, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Depression, Major Depressive Disorder, Depressive Disorder, Major, Epilepsy, Female, Humans, London, Male, Middle Aged, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Quality of Life, Visual Analog Scale
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