Relative impact of Axis I mental disorders on quality of life among adults in the community

Background: Little is known about the relative impact of different mental disorders on adult quality of life (QOL). This study estimated associations between several mental disorders and QOL in a representative American community sample. Methods: The QOL instrument was administered to 640 adult participants in the Children in the Community Study, a population-based longitudinal study. DSM-Axis I and Axis II mental disorder diagnoses were assessed by psychiatric interview. Results: Poorer QOL was strongly associated with having a mood disorder, especially major depression disorder (MOD) (effect size, ES = -0.57, p < 0.01), whereas poorer quality social relationships were associated with having dysthymia and bipolar disorders (ES = -0.92, p < 0.01; ES = -0.80, p < 0.05, respectively). Most anxiety disorders were not independently related to QOL with the exception of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which was significantly related to poorer physical health (ES = -0.78, p < 0.01) and psychological wellbeing (ES = -0.73, p < 0.01) and to less overall QOL (ES = -0.57, p < 0.01). Conclusions: MDD and PTSD are independently related to impaired QOL and dysthymia and bipolar disorder negatively influence social relationships. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.