Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40506676›Full record

SynthesisAdvances in therapy2025

Systematic Review of the Use of the WHO-5 Well-Being Index Across Different Disease Areas.

Arnau Domenech, Ismail Kasujee, Volker Koscielny, Christopher E M Griffiths

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Advances in therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Arnau DomenechAlmirall S.A., Ronda General Mitre, 151, 08022, Barcelona, Spain. adomenech@almirall.com.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0829-511X
Ismail KasujeeAlmirall S.A., Ronda General Mitre, 151, 08022, Barcelona, Spain.
Volker KoscielnyAlmirall S.A., Ronda General Mitre, 151, 08022, Barcelona, Spain.
Christopher E M GriffithsDepartment of Dermatology, King's College Hospital, King's College London, London, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSince its first publication in 1998, the 5-item World Health Organization Well-being index, WHO-5, has become one of the most widely used questionnaires to assess subjective psychological well-being.

aimsTo perform a systematic review of the WHO-5 questionnaire, with a focus on its use across various disease areas and patient populations.

methodsStudies reporting the use of the WHO-5 were searched on the PubMed and PsycINFO databases (search December 2024). The classification of the different diseases or disorders was used following the 11th version of the International Classification of Diseases.

resultsA total of 552 studies met the predefined criteria for inclusion in the review. We provide an overview of the WHO-5 use in all different disease areas, the psychological burden of the patients, and if available, the impact of the treatments on their well-being. The groups with the most publications refer to the Coronavirus disease (COVID)-19 pandemic (n = 161, 29.2%) followed by the group of mental, behavioral, or neurodevelopmental disorders (n = 141, 25.6%), and the group of endocrine, nutritional, and metabolic diseases (n = 120, 21.7%).

conclusionsThe WHO-5 is a short questionnaire consisting of 5 positively formulated questions, which successfully detect when a disease impacts a person's subjective well-being. The scale proved to detect changes in well-being across various diseases around the world, and it should be considered in clinical practice and research.

Indexed as

COVID-19Mental HealthQuality of LifeHumansMental DisordersSARS-CoV-2Surveys and QuestionnairesWorld Health OrganizationChronic diseasesDepression screening toolDiabetesPsoriasisReviewWHO-5 Well-being Index

Identifiers

PMID40506676
PMCPMC12313798

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.