title: The Relationship between Impulsivity and Quality of Life in Euthymic Patients with Bipolar Disorder.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Bipolar disorder (BD) is characterized by elevated impulsivity, even during periods of remission. Many recovered BD patients have functional impairments, which can lead to poor quality of life (QoL). The aim of this study was to investigate the association between impulsivity and QoL in euthymic BD patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 56 remitted or recovered patients with type I or II BD, diagnosed based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) criteria, were recruited. Psychiatrists administered the Clinical Global Impression (CGI) for BD and the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scales and then interviewed the subjects to assess clinical variables. Patients completed the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment Instrument-Brief Form (WHOQoL-BREF). Pearson correlations, univariate regression analyses, and multiple linear regression analyses were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The BIS-11 total score was significantly correlated with the WHOQoL-BREF total score (r=-0.55, p<0.01) and with the WHOQoL-BREF subscales. After controlling for GAF score and other clinical variables, the BIS-11 total score (β=-0.43, p=0.001) was independently associated with overall QoL. Additionally, the BIS-11 total score was particularly strongly associated with the physical, psychological, and social domains of the multi-dimensional QoL scale.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that high impulsivity is related to low QoL in euthymic BD patients. Further studies are needed to examine whether interventions for high impulsivity effectively improve QoL in patients with BD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Gyeongsang National University Hospital, Jinju, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Yoon-Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Boseok
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Dongyun
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sun-Mi
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Eunsoo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Chul-Soo
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Bong-Jo
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Cheol-Soon
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Sojin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lee
keywords: Bipolar disorder; Impulsivity; Quality of life