Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: To quantify the health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) burden associated with self-reported depression during the previous 12 months among adults in the EU5 versus adults reporting no lifetime history of depression.
METHODS: Data were from the 2025 European National Health and Wellness Survey in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Adults reporting depression during the previous 12 months were matched 1:1 to adults reporting no lifetime history of depression using greedy propensity-score matching with a 0.20 caliper, based on age, sex, country, body mass index, and employment status. HRQoL was assessed using RAND-36 composite and domain T-scores. Mixed-effects models including matched set as a random intercept compared cohorts.
RESULTS: Among 386 respondents reporting depression during the previous 12 months and 3,298 reporting no lifetime history, 356 matched pairs were created. After matching, the maximum absolute standardized mean difference was 0.102. Respondents with depression reported significantly lower HRQoL across all RAND-36 domains (all p<0.001). The largest deficits were observed for the Mental Health Composite (32.2 vs 45.3; difference, -13.1; 95% CI, -14.6 to -11.5), Social Functioning (35.0 vs 47.1; -12.0; 95% CI, -13.8 to -10.2), Emotional Well-Being (33.1 vs 44.8; -11.6; 95% CI, -13.1 to -10.2), and Role Limitations due to Emotional Problems (37.3 vs 48.4; -11.2; 95% CI, -13.0 to -9.3). Deficits were also observed for the Physical Health Composite (38.8 vs 46.5; -7.7; 95% CI, -9.2 to -6.1).
CONCLUSIONS: Self-reported depression during the previous 12 months was associated with broad, clinically meaningful HRQoL deficits in EU5 adults, particularly in mental, emotional, and social functioning. These findings highlight the multidimensional burden of depression and support patient-centered management strategies across Europe.