PTSLPCohortJournal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARID2025

Life Satisfaction, Global Health and Mood in Prader-Willi Syndrome: Use of PROMIS and Glasgow Depression Scales.

Lauren Schwartz, Caroline J Vrana-Diaz, Jessica E Bohonowych and 2 others

PMID 40223576

WHAT IT FOUND

Parents reported that 18% of children and adults with Prader-Willi syndrome had concerning levels of depressive symptoms.

These individuals also scored significantly lower on global health and life satisfaction measures, with scores worsening as the participants aged.

Key findings

0118% of the sample scored at or above the threshold for concerning depressive symptoms on the Glasgow Depression Scale-Carer Supplement.

02Individuals with higher depression scores had significantly lower global health and life satisfaction scores.

03Global health and life satisfaction scores were significantly lower in older children and adults compared to younger children.

STILL TO COME

How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for SLPs

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What it does not show

The study relies entirely on parent/caregiver reports for mood and quality of life, which may not reflect the individual's own experience, although this is common in PWS due to self-report challenges. The cross-sectional design cannot determine causality; it is unclear whether depression leads to lower quality of life or vice versa. Parents rated quality of life for some adults who did not live with them (15.4% of sample), which may affect the accuracy of these ratings. The study compares PWS data to other populations using different sampling methods, which may introduce bias in the direct comparisons.

Declared interests

The authors declare no conflicts of interest. The study was funded by the Foundation for Prader-Willi Research.

The easy way to misread this

Do not assume that the observed decline in quality of life with age is caused by PWS progression alone. The study is cross-sectional and relies on caregiver reports, so it cannot rule out that these differences reflect how parents perceive their adult children's condition versus how children's conditions are perceived, or that external factors like social isolation drive the scores.

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