OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between depression and quality of life in young adults aged 18 to 24 years. METHOD: This cross-sectional, population-based study included 1,560 young adults aged 18 to 24 years living in the urban area of Pelotas, southern Brazil. Sample selection was based on cluster sampling: of a total of 448 sectors, 97 were randomly selected. Depression was assessed using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI), and quality of life was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form General Health Survey (SF-36), both validated for use in Brazilian Portuguese. RESULTS: The prevalence of depression was 12.6%. Mean scores obtained for quality of life in the eight domains assessed by SF-36 were lower in depressive young adults, reaching statistical significance in all domains when assessed using the t test (p = 0.000). CONCLUSION: Young adults with signs and symptoms suggestive of depression presented lower levels of quality of life based on the domains assessed.
Depression; quality of life; young adult; cross-sectional studies
