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In few large prospective studies have researchers examined the association between psychological distress (symptoms of depression and anxiety) and mortality. In this analysis of pooled data from 10 prospective studies that involved 68,000 adults (mean age, 55) without cancer or cardiovascular disease, investigators assessed associations between psychological distress and disease-specific mortality. Mean follow-up was 8 years.
The 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) was used to evaluate distress. Compared with GHQ scores of 0, adjusted risk for all-cause death at 8 years was significantly higher for all levels of psychological distress in a dose-response manner: The adjusted hazard ratios for GHQ scores of 1–3, 4–6, and 7–12 were 1.2, …