Health-Related Quality of Life Among First-Degree Relatives of Patients With Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder in Italy

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was, first, to examine health-related quality of life among relatives of Italian patients with obsessive-com- pulsive disorder and, second, to search for potential predictors of qual- ity of life among these relatives. Methods: Health-related quality of life was assessed among 64 nonpsychiatrically ill family members of 48 pa- tients with obsessive-compulsive disorder by using the Medical Out- comes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36). The Yale- Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Structured Clini- cal Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders were used to assess obses- sive-compulsive disorder among the patients. Mean SF-36 scores of par- ticipants were compared with expected scores for 2,031 persons from the Italian general population (Italian norms) by using the one-sample t test. Correlates of health-related quality of life were examined by means of independent-sample t tests and Pearson correlations; vari- ables significantly associated with SF-36 subscales were entered into a stepwise multiple linear regression analysis with the physical and men- tal components as dependent variables. Results: Relatives of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder showed a greater impairment in health-related quality of life in the SF-36 subscales of role limitations due to physical health, vitality, social functioning, role limitations due to emotional problems, and mental health. When a stepwise multiple lin- ear regression analysis was performed with the physical component and the mental component of the SF-36 as dependent variables, female gen- der, older age, and the total score on the Family Accommodation Scale predicted a poorer score on the physical component, whereas the only predictor of a poorer score on the mental component was the patient's Y-BOCS total score. Conclusions: The study provides evidence that ob- sessive-compulsive disorder impairs health-related quality of life among family members of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder, even among healthy family members. Involving family members in the treat- ment of obsessive-compulsive disorder could improve their perceived quality of life. (Psychiatric Services 58:970-976, 2007)