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The Relationship Between Psychological Factors and Disabling Musculoskeletal Pain in Community‐Dwelling Older Persons
Author(s) -
Reid M. Carrington,
Williams Christianna S.,
Gill Thomas M.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1046/j.1532-5415.2003.51357.x
Subject(s) - medicine , quartile , physical therapy , activities of daily living , bathing , prospective cohort study , cohort , confidence interval , joint pain , depression (economics) , cohort study , depressive symptoms , gerontology , cognition , psychiatry , pathology , economics , macroeconomics
OBJECTIVES: To determine the relationship between two psychological factors (depressive symptoms and low functional self‐efficacy) and the occurrence of disabling musculoskeletal pain in community‐dwelling older persons. DESIGN: A 12‐month prospective cohort study. SETTING: Community‐based. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred twenty‐six community‐dwelling persons residing in the greater New Haven, Connecticut, region, aged 70 and older, who had a history of clinically evident musculoskeletal pain and were independent in bathing, walking, dressing, and transferring. MEASUREMENTS: Levels of depressive symptoms and functional self‐efficacy were determined during a comprehensive baseline assessment along with information regarding participants' demographic, medical, and physical/cognitive status. The occurrence of disabling musculoskeletal pain, defined as staying in bed for at least one‐half day or cutting down on one's usual activities due to joint or back pain, was ascertained during monthly interviews. RESULTS: The mean number of months of disabling musculoskeletal pain, adjusted for baseline covariates, increased from the lowest to the highest quartile of depressive symptoms: 1.2 (95% confidence intervals = 0.8–1.7), 1.4 (1.0–2.0), 2.0 (1.5–2.8), 2.3 (1.7–3.1), respectively, P for trend = .002. The corresponding results for functional self‐efficacy were (from highest to lowest quartile) 1.4 (1.0–2.0), 1.6 (1.2–2.2), 1.6 (1.2–2.2), 2.2 (1.6–3.0), P for trend = .068. There was no interaction between depressive symptoms and functional self‐efficacy. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms and, to a lesser extent, low functional self‐efficacy were each associated with the occurrence of disabling musculoskeletal pain among community‐dwelling older persons.