Pro-Health Behaviours and Depressive Symptoms as Well as Satisfaction with and Quality of Life Among Women with Hashimoto's Disease.

BACKGROUND

Lifestyle is one of the important factors determining health and quality of life. The aim of the study was to analyse relationships between pro-health behaviours, depression and quality of life among women with Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was conducted among 219 women aged 20-50 from southern Poland, using (i) Juczyński's Healthy Behaviour Inventory (HBI); (ii) Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI); (iii) satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) and (iv) WHOQoL-Bref (Quality of Life-BREFF). In the statistical analysis, Spearman's R correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were applied, assuming a significance level of α = 0.05.

RESULTS

It was shown that with the increase in the general indicator of pro-health behaviours, the level of depressive symptoms decreased, while the level of satisfaction with life and all four aspects of quality of life on the WHOQoL scale increased ( < 0.001). Regression analysis demonstrated that the model consisting of all analysed pro-health behaviours explains a high percentage of variance in depressive symptoms (38%), life satisfaction (31%) and all aspects of quality of life, including those somatic and social (19%), psychological (28%) and environmental (12%).

CONCLUSIONS

The noted correlations between pro-health behaviours, the intensity of depressive symptoms as well as the level of life satisfaction and quality of life indicate justification for promoting a pro-health lifestyle as a significant factor contributing to mental health and better quality of life among women with hypothyroidism.