Associations between chronic pain, anxiety, and depression among adults in the United States
Open accessAbstract
Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the associations of depression and anxiety with chronic pain among U.S. adults. Setting: Nationally representative cross‐sectional survey analysis. Methods: The National Health Interview Survey for 2019 was analyzed with respect to the chronic pain module and embedded depression and anxiety scales (PHQ‐8 and GAD‐7). Univariate associations between the presence of chronic pain and depression and anxiety scores were determined. Similarly, associations between the presence of chronic pain and the adults' treating with medications for depression and anxiety were also determined. Odds ratios, adjusted for age and sex, were computed for these associations. Results: Among 244.6 million sampled U.S. adults, 50.2 million (95% confidence interval, 48.2–52.2 million) reported chronic pain (20.5%, [19.9%–21.2%] of the population). Adults with chronic pain had elevated severity of depressive symptoms (PHQ‐8 categories: none/minimal: 57.6%, mild: 22.3%, moderate: 11.4%, and severe: 8.7%) versus those without chronic pain (87.6%, 8.8%, 2.3%, and 1.2%; p < 0.001). Adults with chronic pain had elevated severity of anxiety symptoms (GAD‐7 categories: none/minimal: 66.4%, mild: 17.1%, moderate: 8.5%, severe: 8.0%) versus those without chronic pain (89.0%, 7.5%, 2.1%, and 1.4%; p < 0.001). 22.4% and 24.5% of chronic pain sufferers were taking medication for depression and anxiety versus 6.6% and 8.5% of those without chronic pain, respectively (both p < 0.001). Adjusted odds ratios for the association of chronic pain with increasing severity of depression or anxiety and taking a depression or anxiety medication were 6.32 (5.82–6.85), 5.63 (5.15–6.15), 3.98 (3.63–4.37), and 3.42 (3.12–3.75), respectively. Conclusions: The presence of chronic pain in adults associated with significantly higher severity scores for both anxiety and depression as measured by validated surveys in a nationally representative sample. The same is true for the association between chronic pain and an adult taking medication for depression and/or anxiety. These data highlight the impact of chronic pain has on psychological well‐being within the general population.
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Adults with chronic pain report more severe symptoms of depression or anxiety.
“Adults with chronic pain report more severe symptoms of depression or anxiety. 12”
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Price-Haywood, E. G., Burton, J. H., Harden-Barrios, J., Bazzano, A., Shi, L., Lefante, J., & Jamison, R. N. (2024) · Journal of General Internal Medicine · doi:10.1007/s11606-024-08965-7 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
- Authors
- Mullins, P. M., Yong, R. J., & Bhattacharyya, N.
- Affiliations
- Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
- Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary (US)
- Corresponding author
- Mullins, Peter M.
- Venue
- Pain Practice
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2023-03-14
- Volume
- 23
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 589-594
- ISSN
- 1530-7085 (ISSN-L)
- 1533-2500
- OpenAlex
- W4323348555
- Cited by
- 98
- References
- 35
- Citations by year
- 2026: 27 · 2025: 43 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 2
- FWCI
- 15.27
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- public-domain
- onlinelibrary.wiley.com/termsAndConditions#vor (vor)
- Locations
- Pain Practice (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Keywords
- chronic pain, depression, anxiety, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, antidepressant use, comorbidities, adults, United States adults, PHQ-8, GAD-7, prevalence of chronic pain, health care costs
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Anxiety, Anxiety Disorders, Cross-Sectional Studies, Depression, Humans, United States, Chronic Pain
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