OBJECTIVES:

Veterans are associated with significant mental disorders because of their exposure to physical and psychological stressors. Therefore, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in veterans is likely to differ from non-veterans. This study compared the HRQOL of veterans and non-veterans diagnosed with depression

METHODS :

A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted using the 2015 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data. Adult (≥18 years) patients with depression were identified using the ICD-9-CM codes 296, 300 and 311. Bivariate analyses were performed to compare the characteristics of veterans and non-veterans with depression. The variation in HRQOL measures – Physical component score (PCS) and Mental Component Score (MCS) ­– due to veteran status was assessed by performing two independent multivariable linear regression models after adjusting for other covariates.

RESULTS:

An estimated 3.34 million (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 2.87–3.81 million) veterans and 44.09 million non-veterans (95% CI: 41.04–47.14 million) were identified with depression in the weighted national sample. Veterans with depression significantly differed from non-veterans with respect to demographic and clinical characteristics. However, bivariate analyses showed that PCS was similar in veterans (37.69±1.43) and non-veterans (38.55±0.47); MCS was also similar in veterans (39.57± 1.43) and non-veterans (37.27±0.42). Multivariable regression findings showed that veteran status was not significantly associated with both PCS (β= -1.32, 95% CI -4.09–1.46) and MCS (β= -0.60, 95% CI -3.22–2.01). However, several demographic and clinical characteristics were significantly associated with PCS (age category, income class, marital status, insurance type, education and comorbidities such as chronic pulmonary disease, diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis) and MCS (age category, race, income class, insurance type and education).

CONCLUSIONS:

Study findings suggest that the veteran status was not associated with HRQOL among patients with depression. However, several demographic and clinical characteristics contribute to the variation in HRQOL among veterans with depression.