The impact of mental health on health‑related quality of life in patients with NF2‑related Schwannomatosis
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Philipps-Universität Marburg
Abstract
NF2-related schwannomatosis (NF2-SWN) is a rare genetic disorder and is associated with
progressive morbidities. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between NF2-SWN disease
severity, health-related Quality of Life (QoL), and mental health aspects of patients. Standardised
questionnaires assessing mental health problems (symptoms of depression, anxiety, and somatic
burden), psychological factors (resilience, loneliness, and personality functioning), and health-related
QoL were administered to 97 patients with NF2-SWN. The results of these questionnaires were
compared with physician-rated disease severity. Questionnaires were completed by 77 patients.
Physician-rated disease severity scores were available for 55 patients. NF2-SWN patients showed
a high prevalence of clinically relevant symptoms of depression (30%), anxiety (16%), and somatic
burden (32%). Almost all variables showed moderate to high correlations with NF2-SWN-related
QoL. NF2-SWN-related QoL was associated with physician-reported disease severity (r = 0.614). In
the stepwise hierarchical linear regression analysis, a significant model with four predictors (disease
severity type, depression symptoms, personality functioning, and gender) explained 64% of the
variance in NF2-SWN-related QoL. Our results showed a strong association between NF2-SWN-related
QoL and depression symptoms. Moreover, personality functioning is an important influencing factor,
representing a modifiable construct that can be targeted by prevention programs or psychotherapy.