title: Self-reported health-related quality of life of mental health service users with serious mental illness in New Zealand.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although people with serious mental illness (SMI) have a high prevalence of physical illness, health-related quality of life (HQoL) has not been sufficiently explored.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore the self-reported HQoL of mental health service users in New Zealand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Responses on the Medical Outcomes Study 36 Item Short Form (SF-36) measure of HQoL from 404 adult mental health service users in a metropolitan district health board area in New Zealand were analysed and compared to a representative sample of the general population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mental health service users scored significantly lower on all eight domains of the SF-36 than the general population, the largest difference being in the role limitation-emotional domain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Being female, younger than 25, obese or overweight, or of New Zealand European/Other ethnicity were associated with poorer functioning on multiple HQoL domains. Future studies should seek to understand the factors contributing to perceptions of HQoL of mental health service users in New Zealand.
authors.affiliation: Griffith Health Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia; and Faculty of Medical Health Sciences, The University of Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Amanda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.affiliation: The Australian Catholic University, and North Western Mental Health, Melbourne, Australia. Brian.McKenna@mh.org.au.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: McKenna
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health Research, School of Nursing, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Madell
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jeff
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health Research, School of Nursing, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Prebble
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
authors.forename: Elin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.affiliation: Clinical Research and Resource Centre, Waitemata District Health Board, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Lucy
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Dunbar
authors.affiliation: Centre for Mental Health Research, School of Nursing, The University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Nakarada-Kordic
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders; D008605:Mental Health Services; D009520:New Zealand; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D055815:Young Adult