The EQ-5D and SF-36 achieved mixed results in the quantitative testing against psychometric criteria .
The qualitative analysis suggests this is because they provide a very limited coverage of themes identified by people with mental health problems .
BACKGROUND Generic preference-based measures of health like the EQ-5D and SF-6D ( ® ) are increasingly being used in economic evaluation and outcome assessment .
However , there are concerns as to whether or not these generic measures are appropriate for use in people with mental health problems .
OBJECTIVES The EQ-5D and SF-36 ( ® ) ( including its derivatives the SF-12 ( ® ) and SF-6D ) were assessed using the psychometric criteria of validity and responsiveness using quantitative and qualitative methods .
Another aim was to estimate mapping functions between the EQ-5D and SF-6D and condition-specific measures , where appropriate .
The Factors Influencing Depression Endpoints Research (FINDER) study: final results of Italian patients with depression
Background Factors Influencing Depression Endpoints Research ( FINDER ) is a 6-month , prospect i ve , observational study carried out in 12 European countries aim ed at investigating health-related quality of life ( HRQoL ) in out patients receiving treatment for a first or new depressive episode . The Italian HRQoL data at 6 months is described in this report , and the factors associated with HRQoL changes were determined . Methods Data were collected at baseline , 3 and 6 months of treatment . HRQoL was measured using components of the  36-item Short Form Health Survey ( SF-36 ; mental component summary ( MCS ) , physical component summary ( PCS ) ) and the European Quality of Life-5 Dimensions ( EQ-5D ; visual analogue scale ( VAS ) and health status index ( HSI ) ) . The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale ( HADS ) was adopted to evaluate depressive symptoms , while somatic and painful physical symptoms were assessed by using the 28-item Somatic Symptom Inventory ( SSI-28 ) and a VAS . Results Of the initial 513 patients , 472 completed the 3-month observation and 466 the 6-month observation . The SF-36 and EQ-5D mean ( ± SD ) scores showed HRQoL improvements at 3 months and a further smaller improvement at 6 months , with the most positive effects for SF-36 MCS ( baseline 22.0 ± 9.2 , 3 months 34.6 ± 10.0 ; 6 months 39.3 ± 9.5 ) and EQ-5D HSI ( baseline 0.4 ± 0.3 ; 3 months 0.7 ± 0.3 ; 6 months 0.7 ± 0.2 ) . Depression and anxiety symptoms ( HADS-D mean at baseline 13.3 ± 4.2 ; HADS-A mean at baseline 12.2 ± 3.9 ) consistently decreased during the first 3 months ( 8.7 ± 4.3 ; 7.5 ± 3.6 ) and showed a further positive change at 6 months ( 6.9 ± 4.3 ; 5.8 ± 3.4 ) . Somatic and painful symptoms ( SSI and VAS ) significantly decreased , with the most positive changes in the SSI-28 somatic item ( mean at baseline 2.4 ± 0.7 ; mean change at 3 months : -0.5 ; 95 % CI -0.6 to -0.5 ; mean change at 6 months : -0.7 ; 95 % CI -0.8 to -0.7 ) ; in ' interference of overall pain with daily activities ' ( mean at baseline 45.2 ± 30.7 ; mean change at 3 months -17.4 ; 95 % CI -20.0 to -14.8 ; mean change at 6 months -24.4 ; 95 % CI -27.3 to -21.6 ) and in ' having pain while awake ' ( mean at baseline 41.1 ± 29.0 ; mean change at 3 months -13.7 ; 95 % CI -15.9 to -11.5 ; mean change at 6 months -20.2 ; 95 % CI -22.8 to -17.5 ) domains . The results from linear regression analyses showed that the antidepressant switch within classes was consistently associated with a worsening in SF-36 MCS , EQ-5D VAS and HSI compared to non-switching treatment . Furthermore , between-group antidepressants ( AD ) switch was associated with a worse SF-36 MCS and EQ-5D HSI . MCS ( P = 0.028 ) , PCS ( P = 0.036 ) and HSI ( P = 0.002 ) were inversely related to the number of each previous additional depressive episode . PCS ( P = 0.009 ) and HSI ( P = 0.005 ) were also less improved in patients suffering from a chronic medical condition . Moreover , PCS ( P = 0.044 ) and EQ-5D VAS ( P < 0.0001 ) worsening was consistently associated with the presence of a psychiatric illness in the 24 months before baseline . For every additional point on the SSI-somatic score and on the overall pain VAS score at baseline , HSI score were on average 0.062 ( P < 0.001 ) and 0.001 ( P = 0.005 ) smaller , respectively . Conclusions After starting AD treatment , HRQoL improvements at 3 and 6 months were observed . However , several factors can negatively influence HRQoL , such as the presence of somatic and painful symptoms , the presence of any chronic medical condition or previous psychiatric illness
The EQ-5D and SF-36 achieved mixed results in the quantitative testing against psychometric criteria .
The qualitative analysis suggests this is because they provide a very limited coverage of themes identified by people with mental health problems .
BACKGROUND Generic preference-based measures of health like the EQ-5D and SF-6D ( ® ) are increasingly being used in economic evaluation and outcome assessment .
However , there are concerns as to whether or not these generic measures are appropriate for use in people with mental health problems .
OBJECTIVES The EQ-5D and SF-36 ( ® ) ( including its derivatives the SF-12 ( ® ) and SF-6D ) were assessed using the psychometric criteria of validity and responsiveness using quantitative and qualitative methods .
Another aim was to estimate mapping functions between the EQ-5D and SF-6D and condition-specific measures , where appropriate .