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. 2005 Jan 5:3:1.
doi: 10.1186/1477-7525-3-1.

Can the concepts of depression and quality of life be integrated using a time perspective?

Margaret Moore  1 , Stefan Höfer, Hannah McGee, Lena Ring
Affiliations

Can the concepts of depression and quality of life be integrated using a time perspective?

Margaret Moore et al. Health Qual Life Outcomes. .

Abstract

Background: Little is understood about the conceptual relationship of depression and quality of life (QoL). Judgments concerning both, implicitly or explicitly, involve a time perspective. The aim of this study was to test de Leval's theoretical model linking depression and QoL with a time perspective. The model predicts that changes in cognitions about one's past, present and future QoL, will be associated with changes in depressive symptomatology.

Methods: Eighteen psychiatric in-patients with a clinically confirmed diagnosis of depression were assessed on commencing treatment and 12 weeks later. QoL was assessed by the Schedule for Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life (SEIQoL), depression by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and hopelessness by the Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS). Time perspective was incorporated by asking QoL questions about the past, present and future.

Results: Depression and hopelessness were associated with a poorer present QoL. Depression lowered present QoL but did not alter future QoL, as these remained consistently high whether participants were depressed or recovering. However, depressed individuals had a larger gap between their actual present QoL and future (aspired to) QoL. Changes in QoL were influenced by depression and hopelessness. Contrary to the model, perception of "past" QoL was not affected by depression or hopelessness.

Conclusions: de Leval's model was largely confirmed. Thus depression and hopelessness influence a person's present and future QoL. The analysis of a temporal horizon was helpful in understanding the link between depression and QoL.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Illustration of de Leval's model
Figure 2
Figure 2
Illustration of the preference comparison gaps (actual/aspirational QoL) for the three time points (past, present and future) at baseline and three months. Δ represents the change from baseline to three months for the time anchor "present" ** p < .001
Figure 3
Figure 3
Illustration of the time comparison gaps (past-present/present-future QoL; shaded areas) for the three time points (past, present and future) at baseline and three months. Δ represents the change from baseline to three months for the time anchor "past" and "future" ** p < .001; ns ... not significant
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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