The Hidden Toll of Psychological Distress in Australian Adults and Its Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life Measured as Health State Utilities

Background Psychological distress (PD) is a major health problem that affects all aspects of health-related quality of life including physical, mental and social health, leading to a substantial human and economic burden. Studies have revealed a concerning rise in the prevalence of PD and various mental health conditions among Australians, particularly in female individuals. There is a scarcity of studies that estimate health state utilities (HSUs), which reflect the overall health-related quality of life in individuals with PD. No such studies have been conducted in Australia thus far. Objective We aimed to evaluate the age-specific, sex-specific and PD category-specific HSUs (disutilities) in Australian adults with PD to inform healthcare decision making in the management of PD. Methods Data on age, sex, SF-36/SF6D responses, Kessler psychological distress (K10) scale scores and other characteristics of N = 15,139 participants (n = 8149 female individuals) aged >15 years were derived from the latest wave (21) of the nationally representative Household, Income and Labor Dynamics in Australia survey. Participants were grouped into the severity categories of no (K10 score: 10–19), mild (K10: 20–24), moderate (K10: 25–29) and severe PD (K10: 30–50). Both crude and adjusted HSUs were calculated from participants’ SF-36 profiles, considering potential confounders such as smoking, marital status, remoteness, education and income levels. The calculations were based on the SF-6D algorithm and aligned with Australian population norms. Additionally, the HSUs were stratified by age, sex and PD categories. Disutilities of PD, representing the mean difference between HSUs of people with PD and those without, were also calculated for each group. Results The average age of individuals was 46.130 years (46% male), and 31% experienced PD in the last 4 weeks. Overall, individuals with PD had significantly lower mean HSUs than those likely to be no PD, 0.637 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.636, 0.640) vs 0.776 (95% CI 0.775, 0.777) i.e. disutility: −0.139 [95% CI −0.139, −0.138]). Mean disutilities of −0.108 (95% CI −0.110, −0.104), −0.140 (95% CI −0.142, −0.138), and −0.188 (95% CI −0.190, −0.187) were observed for mild PD, moderate PD and severe PD, respectively. Disutilities of PD also differed by age and sex groups. For instance, female individuals had up to 0.049 points lower mean HSUs than male individuals across the three classifications of PD. There was a clear decline in health-related quality of life with increasing age, demonstrated by lower mean HSUs in older population age groups, that ranged from 0.818 (95% CI 0.817, 0.818) for the 15–24 years age group with no PD to 0.496 (95% CI 0.491, 0.500) for the 65+ years age group with severe PD). Across all ages and genders, respondents were more likely to report issues in certain dimensions, notably vitality, and these responses did not uniformly align with ageing. Conclusions The burden of PD in Australia is substantial, with a significant impact on female individuals and older individuals. Implementing age-specific and sex-specific healthcare interventions to address PD among Australian adults may greatly alleviate this burden. The PD state-specific HSUs calculated in our study can serve as valuable inputs for future health economic evaluations of PD in Australia and similar populations.