Quality of life is an important indicator in assessing patient well-being, not only from a physical perspective but also from a psychological, social, and environmental perspective. Benzodiazepines are a class of psychotropic drugs frequently prescribed to treat anxiety disorders, insomnia, and other disorders. However, long-term use can lead to effects such as tolerance, dependence, and a reduced quality of life. Research on the quality of life of patients receiving benzodiazepine therapy in Indonesia is still limited, particularly in clinical-level healthcare facilities.
This study aims to measure the quality of life of patients receiving benzodiazepine (alprazolam) therapy at the Ratijo Husada Clinic in Yogyakarta City using the WHOQOL-BREF instrument, which covers four main domains: physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and the environment. The type of research used is descriptive observational with a quantitative approach. Data were collected through the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire completed by 97 respondents who met the inclusion criteria, namely aged ≥18 years, undergoing benzodiazepine therapy for at least six months, and willing to be respondents. Analysis was conducted descriptively to describe the average score for each domain and the characteristics of the respondents.
The results of the study showed that the characteristics of the respondents were dominated by men (93.8%) with an average age of 28.37 years, and all respondents had undergone benzodiazepine therapy for ≥6 months. The average quality of life score for patients was 57.83, which falls into the moderate category. The majority of respondents (55.7%) had a moderate quality of life. Based on the four WHOQOL-BREF domains, the social relationships domain had the highest score (61.43), followed by the psychological domain (58.89), the environmental domain (56.54), and the physical health domain with the lowest score (54.46).
Based on the research results, it can be concluded that the quality of life of patients receiving benzodiazepine (alprazolam) therapy at the Ratijo Husada Clinic in Yogyakarta City is in the moderate category. Social and psychological aspects showed relatively better conditions, while physical health was the domain most impacted during long-term benzodiazepine therapy.