title: Depression, anxiety and quality of life in caregiver spouses of veterans with chronic spinal cord injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We were curious about the degree of anxiety and depression and their effect on the quality of life of the caregivers of veterans with spinal cord injury (SCI).
  
  
  METHODS
  A convenience sample of 72 out of 120 caregiver spouses of veterans with spinal cord injury participated in our study. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were considered as a measure of depression and anxiety. The World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF) was considered to evaluate the quality of life. To compare the caregivers, we enrolled 74 matched caregiver spouses of patients without spinal cord injury.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average age of the spouses was 44.7±6.5. The average time elapsed from the injury was 26.4±3.1 years. There was a significant difference in all domains of quality of life and depression between the caregivers and the control group, but there was not a significant difference in terms of anxiety. There was a negative correlation between depression and age, level of education and quality of life.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mental care support should be implemented for veterans and their spouses in addition to the provided facilities.
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Research Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Ghaem Hospital Medical School, Ahmad-Abad Street, Mashhad, 99199-91766, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Hosein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Ebrahimzadeh
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Research Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Ghaem Hospital Medical School, Ahmad-Abad Street, Mashhad, 99199-91766, Iran.
authors.forename: Bibi Soheyla
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Shojaee
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Research Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Ghaem Hospital Medical School, Ahmad-Abad Street, Mashhad, 99199-91766, Iran.
authors.forename: Farideh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Golhasani-Keshtan
authors.affiliation: Ibn-Sina Hospital, Department of Psychiatry Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, 99199-91766, Iran Mashhad, Iran.
authors.forename: Fatemeh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Moharari
authors.affiliation: Orthopedic Research Center, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Ghaem Hospital Medical School, Ahmad-Abad Street, Mashhad, 99199-91766, Iran ; Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02114, USA.
authors.forename: Amir Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Kachooei
authors.affiliation: Assistant Professor of Surgery. Endoscopic & Minimally Invasive Surgery Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, ashhad ,Iran.
authors.forename: Asieh Sadat
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Fattahi
keywords: Anxiety; Caregiver; Depression; HADS; Quality of Life; Spinal Cord Injury; Veteran; WHOQOL-BREF