Population normative data for OxCAP-MH capability scores

The study aims to establish the first set of normative data for OxCAP-MH capability instrument and to examine its association with sociodemographic and anxiety/depression severity variables.

A large-sample cross-sectional online survey was conducted among the Hungarian adult general population in 2021. OxCAP-MH standardized mean scores were compared across age, sex, education level, residence, employment, and marital status. Linear regression analysis was employed to determine the impact of sociodemographic and anxiety/depression severity on the OxCAP-MH score.

In total, N = 2000 individuals completed the survey. The sample mean age was 47.1, with female majority (53.4%). Most respondents had completed primary education (51%), were active on labour market (52.4%), lived in larger cities (70.0%), and were married/in relationship (61.1%). Nearly half of the participants reported experiencing depression (48.5%), anxiety (44.3%), and 38.6% reported having both. The mean OxCAP-MH score for the total sample was 67.2 (SD = 14.4), the highest in the non-depressed (74.4) and non-anxious (73.6) subgroups, the lowest among those with extremely severe depression (45.0) and severe anxiety (47.7). Regression results indicated that older individuals (by β = 0.1), males (β = 2.3), those with secondary or higher education (β = 2.7 and 4.5) and students (β = 6.8) had significantly (p<0.01) higher mental capabilities. Respondents with mild, moderate, severe, or extremely severe depression (β =  -6.6, -9.6, -13.8, -18.3) and those with mild, moderate, or severe anxiety (β =  -4.1, -7.7, -10.3) had lower capability scores.

The OxCAP-MH instrument effectively differentiated capabilities across sociodemographic groups and highlighting the impact of depression and anxiety severity on general population's mental capability.