The role of mental health, personality disorders and childhood adversities in relation to life satisfaction in a sample of general population.

BACKGROUND: Mental health disorders are one of the leading causes of the disease burden globally. AIM: The aim of this population-based study was to investigate the relationship between life satisfaction and mental health by taking into account its less studied areas, such as personality disorders and childhood adversities. METHODS: The sample of this cross-sectional study was derived from a population-based Kuopio Depression Study performed in Eastern Finland. Health questionnaires were mailed in 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2005 including questions on several clinical factors. Questions on childhood home were asked in 1999. The inclusion criteria for the final study sample in 2005 were based on previously repeatedly (1998, 1999, 2001) reported life satisfaction, depression or alexithymic features (with/without). Psychiatric diagnoses of major depressive disorder and personality disorder were confirmed by structured clinical interview I and II for DSM-IV in 2005. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the studied relationships. RESULTS: In general, the broad spectrum of poor mental health indicators was associated with concurrent life dissatisfaction. After multiple adjustments, major depressive disorder (MDD), hopelessness and mental distress remained independent correlates of life dissatisfaction, while personality disorder or self-reported childhood adversities lost their significance when these other factors were included in the model. CONCLUSIONS: Mental health is closely interwoven with life satisfaction. Even if personality disorder and childhood adversities were significant correlates of life dissatisfaction, adverse concurrent mental symptoms and features and MDD were its strongest correlates.