Factors related to quality of life in depressive outpatients in Taiwan

Abstract

Issues related to recovery of quality of life (QoL) in depressive outpatients have been raised. This descriptive correlation study investigated QoL in depressive outpatients in Taiwan. A total of 181 depressive outpatients participated in the study. Their QoL levels were measured using the Taiwanese version of the Short Form of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF). The results indicate that multiple predicting factors including marriage, less severity of depression, better social support, and better medical professional-patient interaction are associated with better QoL in depressive outpatients in the physical, psychological, social relationship, and environmental domains. QoL and its correlation with depressive outpatients must be emphasized in order to develop appropriate strategies to improve QoL and treatment efficacy. © 2007 The Authors.