Citation

Nguyen AT, Nguyen THT, Nguyen TTH, Nguyen HTT, Nguyen TX, Nguyen TN, Nguyen AL, Vu LG, Do HT, Doan LP, Vu GT, Nguyen HTT, Pham T, Vu HTT. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 2021; 18(17): e9192.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute)

DOI

10.3390/ijerph18179192

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The interaction of chronic pain and depression among older people has been studied for many years. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of chronic pain and depression among older patients and correlated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 921 older patients at the National Geriatric Hospital from November 2019 to March 2020. We used the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to assess the comorbid condition, a numerical rating scale (NRS) to examine pain severity, and Geriatric Depression Scale-15 items (GDS-15) to measure depression among participants. A chi-square test and Tobit regression were used to analyze the relationships. A total of 921 older patients participated in the study. The proportion of depression accounted for 55.8%. The mean Charlson score and number of diseases were 1.2 and 4.7, respectively. A positive correlation was found between comorbidity and chronic pain and depression. Moreover, socio-demographic variables such as occupation, education, and income were associated with pain and depressive symptoms. This study highlights the issue of mental health in older people with chronic pain. The results indicate the necessity of frequent depression screening, pain management, and social activity programs for older people to enhance their health.

Language: en

Keywords

Vietnam; pain; depression; chronic pain; older people