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The relationship between stress and quality of life in psychiatric outpatients
Author(s) -
Masthoff Erik D.,
Trompenaars Fons J.,
Van Heck Guus L.,
De Vries Jolanda,
Hodiamont Paul P.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
stress and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.009
H-Index - 61
eISSN - 1532-2998
pISSN - 1532-3005
DOI - 10.1002/smi.1105
Subject(s) - psychopathology , normative , psychology , psychiatry , checklist , population , psychosocial , quality of life (healthcare) , feeling , clinical psychology , stress (linguistics) , medicine , psychotherapist , social psychology , philosophy , linguistics , environmental health , epistemology , cognitive psychology
Stress is the subjective feeling produced by events that are uncontrollable or threatening. Stress factors are coded on a separate axis of the DSM‐IV classification system when they influence the diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of psychiatric disorders. The relationship between stress and the psychosocial outcome measure quality of life (QOL), that has become a topic of growing interest in medical and psychiatric practice, is hardly examined in psychiatric outpatients. Therefore, in the present study, this relationship was investigated in a population of psychiatric outpatients ( n = 410) with a broad spectrum of psychiatric disorders. Stress was assessed with the Everyday Problem Checklist (EPCL). QOL was measured with the World Health Organization (WHO) QOL Assessment Instrument (WHOQOL‐100). The study population experienced considerable rates and intensities of stress, that were significantly higher compared with normative groups derived from a random sample of the Dutch population. Even after a correction for the presence of psychopathology, stress explained an amount of the variance of all aspects of QOL. It is concluded that in addition to the presence of psychopathology, stress plays a significant role in determining QOL. This justifies the classification of stress on a separate axis of DSM‐IV. It is advisable to consider stress more systematically in psychiatric assessment and treatment. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.