The relation between health-related quality of life and pain, depression, anxiety, and functional independence in persons with chronic physical disability

Objectives: This study was designed to investigate the relation between health-related quality of life and pain, depression, anxiety, and functional independence. Methods: The study included 82 healthy subjects aged 38.18 +/- 11.06 and 89 physically disabled subjects aged 37.72 +/- 16.40. Physical and social characteristics of the subjects such as age, height, length, weight, gender, occupational and marital status, and level of education were recorded. Visual Analogue Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Nottingham Health Profile, and Functional Independence Measure were used to evaluate pain, depression, anxiety, quality of life, and functional independence, respectively. Results: Compared to healthy individuals, chronically disabled subjects had higher pain, depression and anxiety and lower quality of life scores. Between-group comparison showed that there was a significant difference in pain, depression, anxiety levels and health-related quality of life (p<0.05). Similarly, both healthy and disabled individuals indicated a negative correlation between pain, depression, anxiety and quality of life (p<0.05). Conclusion: In individuals with chronic disabilities, pain may induce serious psychological problems, negatively affecting quality of life. This study showed that in chronically disabled individuals, there is a strong correlation between pain, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. These results should be considered carefully when planning assessment and rehabilitation programs for individuals with chronic disabilities.