---
title: "Health-related quality of life of people with depression - Center for Nonviolent Communication"
description: ""
url: "https://www.cnvc.org/learn/research/health-related-quality-of-life-of-people-with-depression"
date: "2026-09-19T10:14:59+00:00"
language: "en-US"
---

#  Health-related quality of life of people with depression

#  pre-post intervention compared with age-matched general population in Vietnam

Academic Journal Article by **Hoa, Truong Thi My., Ngan, Tran Thu., Mai, Vu Quynh., Minh, Hoang Van.** in English (2024)

 BMC Psychol 12, 565 (2024)

**Background:** There is a paucity of health-related quality of life (HRQoL) research on people with depression as well as a lack of evidence on supported self-management (SSM) intervention for depression on HRQoL in Vietnam. This study aimed to compare the HRQoL of people with depression and age-matched people in the Vietnamese population, evaluate the effects of Tele-SSM intervention on HRQoL, and examine the association between the changes in HRQoL score and mental health well-being (depression, anxiety, and stress).

**Methods:** This study was a pre- and post-study involving Vietnamese adults aged 18–64 who had depression symptoms (score ≥ 5 points in the PHQ-9). Participants (N = 58) completed Tele-SSM - a supported self-management intervention incorporating cognitive behavioral therapy and non-violent communication and using a task-shifting approach. To compare with the general population, we conducted 1-to-1 matching by age with an EQ-5D-5L valuation study with a nationally representative sample of the Vietnamese general population.

**Results:** HRQoL is significantly impaired in people with depression compared to the age-matched general population. Regarding health profile, participants reported the most difficulties in usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression dimensions. Significant improvements were observed in HRQoL scores post-intervention compared to pre-intervention in both EQ-VAS scores (from 59.84 to 79.48) and utility scores (from 0.79 to 0.09). These results remained lower than the age-matched general population (EQ-VAS score = 83.28, utility score = 0.96). Depression was associated with lower HRQoL while controlling for stress, anxiety symptoms and sociodemographic characteristics.

**Conclusions:** These results indicate that HRQoL is significantly impaired in people with depression and contribute to providing empirical evidence of Tele-SSM intervention in improving HRQoL. Further randomized controlled trials should be conducted to evaluate effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of the Tele-SSM intervention.

 [ Read Article ](https://bmcpsychology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40359-024-02067-z)