Effects of chronic pain on sleep quality and depression: A cross-sectional study

To examined the impacts of chronic pain on depression and poor sleep quality dimensions as well as the mediating function of poor sleep quality in the pathway between chronic pain and depression.

Between March 2019 and February 2020, we conducted a cross-sectional study on 233 chronic pain patients in 2 tertiary hospitals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Of the 233 patients, 36% had depression, while 66.1% had poor sleep quality. Chronic pain intensity and pain disability significantly explained 10.9% of depressed affect variance, 4.9% of anhedonia variance, 17.3% of somatic complaint variance, 4.5% of interpersonal difficulty variance, 7.4% of sleep efficiency variance, and 15% of perceived sleep quality variance. The result also showed a positive, direct effect of chronic pain on poor sleep quality, which in turn positively and directly affect depression. However, chronic pain had only indirect effect on depression.

Among chronic pain patients, the high rates of poor sleep quality and depression requires a special attention. Chronic pain intensity and disability predict depression and sleep quality dimensions differently. The result underlines the need of managing poor sleep quality to address depression in the context of chronic pain.