Social support and cognitive functioning as resources for elderly persons with chronic arthritis pain

Arthritis pain and depression are prevalent physical and psychological disorders in late life and co-occur frequently. We explored the stability and covariation of arthritis pain and depressive symptoms. We also addressed the influence of cognitive functioning and social support on the relationship between pain and depressive symptoms among community-dwelling older individuals.

This longitudinal study utilized a sample of 299 residents of Florida retirement communities who participated in a long-term panel study using yearly assessments across 4 years. Using multilevel modeling, we modeled the individual differences as well as stability in arthritis pain and depressive symptoms simultaneously. Further, we tested the role of cognitive functioning and social support in the association between arthritis pain and depressive symptoms.

We found substantial within-person variation in both pain and depressive symptoms (between 58% and 65%) across 4 years even after controlling for a time effect. After controlling for arthritis pain, persons with higher social support and higher cognitive functioning reported lower levels of depressive symptoms.

Findings suggest that fluctuations in pain and depressive symptoms are common for older adults. Furthermore, social support and intact cognitive functioning may serve as useful resources, as they buffer the negative impact of arthritis pain on depressive symptoms.