Association Between Self- and Proxy-Reported Depression and Quality of Life in Mild-Moderate Alzheimer's Disease

•What is the primary question addressed by this study?Is the association between depression and quality of life for people with dementia affected by whether both constructs are rated by the same member of the patient-caregiver dyad?•What is the main finding of this study?Self-rated depression is associated with self- but not proxy-rated quality of life for people with dementia, while proxy-rated depression was associated with proxy-rated but not self-rated quality of life. The association between depression and quality of life was stronger for men.•What is the meaning of the finding?Assessing quality of life for people with dementia through surveys administered to caregivers rather than those living with the condition may obscure the strong association with mood symptoms. Prior studies have reported an association between depression and quality of life (QOL) in Alzheimer's disease (AD), but the effect of self- versus proxy rating of mood and QOL has not been described. In this secondary analysis of data from a cohort study, the authors used a linear mixed-effects model to determine if the association between depression and QOL is affected by whether both measures are assessed by the same member of the patient-caregiver dyad. Participants and caregiver informants were recruited from 10 California Alzheimer Disease Centers. A total of 137 participants with mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers. Self- and proxy-rated scores on both the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and the Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease scale (QoL-AD). Multivariable linear mixed-effects models were used to estimate the association between depression and QOL. Results of the multivariable linear mixed-effects models showed a significant association between self-rated QoL-AD and self-rated (B = −0.49, p