Premium
Effects of comorbidity on Tourette's tic severity and quality of life
Author(s) -
Huismanvan Dijk Hilde M.,
Matthijssen Suzy J. M. A.,
Stockmann Ruben T. S.,
Fritz Anne V.,
Cath Danielle C.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/ane.13155
Subject(s) - anxiety , depression (economics) , severity of illness , quality of life (healthcare) , comorbidity , tourette syndrome , psychology , mediation , depressive symptoms , clinical psychology , medicine , psychiatry , psychotherapist , political science , law , economics , macroeconomics
Objective The aim of this study is to gain more insight in the differential contributions of anxiety, depression and obsessive‐compulsive (OC) symptom severity to quality of life (QoL) and tic severity in adults with Tourette Disorder (TD). Methods Self‐reported OC symptom, anxiety and depression severity measures were used to investigate their predictive value on QoL and Tic severity in adult TD patients (N = 187), using correlation, regression, and mediation analyses. Results Tic severity has no effect on QoL. Depression severity directly reduces QoL, whereas anxiety and OC symptom severity have an indirect effect on QoL, mediated by depression severity. OC symptom severity directly affects tic severity, whereas depression and anxiety severity do not have a direct effect on tic or OC severity. Finally, anxiety severity in directly impacts tic severity, with OC symptom severity functioning as a mediator. Conclusion In line with and extending previous studies, these findings indicate that OC symptom severity directly influences tic symptom severity whereas depression severity directly influences QoL in TD. Results imply that to improve QoL in TD patients, treatment should primarily focus on diminishing OC and depressive symptom severity rather than focusing on tic reduction.