Effects of anxiety and depression on quality of life in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease patient-caregiver dyads

Abstract

Introduction: People with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and their caregivers present symptoms of anxiety and depression that impact negatively on their quality of life. There are no studies using the dyad perspective in analyzing such effects on COPD dyads. Aims: To assess the effects of anxiety and depression on mental and physical quality of life in COPD dyads using Actor-Partner interdependence Model (APIM). Methods: We used a cross-sectional design. Eighty dyads were recruited in two outpatient clinics in Italy. Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12) were used to assess depression, anxiety and quality of life respectively. The structural equation modeling (SEM) with maximum likelihood estimation was used to analyze the data. Results: Actor effects of depression and anxiety on mental SF-12 (MCS) were identified for both patients and caregivers. Depression presented partner effect only from caregivers to patients’ MCS, whereas anxiety presented partner effects for both patients and caregivers. Actor effect of depression on physical SF-12 (PCS) was observed for patients, while an actor effect of anxiety for caregivers was identified. No partner effects of anxiety and depression were identified on PCS. Conclusions: The results suggest that caregiver’s psychological distress can influence patient’s mental quality of life. Therefore, to improve quality of life of patients healthcare professionals should assess and treat the anxiety and depression not only in COPD patients but also in their caregivers.