Chronic Pain and Newly Reported Frequent Feelings of Depression: A Nationally Representative Longitudinal Study in...

Nationally representative longitudinal evidence on the association of chronic pain and pain-related activity limitation with newly reported frequent feelings of depression remains limited. We examined the association using the 2019-2020 National Health Interview Survey follow-back cohort.

The longitudinal cohort used nationally representative data from the 2019-2020 National Health Interview Survey to examine the relationship between chronic pain and newly reported frequent feelings of depression among US adults. The primary outcome was newly reported frequent feelings of depression in 2020. Weighted modified Poisson regression models with robust standard errors were used to estimate risk ratios, adjusting for demographic and health-related covariates.

Among adults with chronic pain and nonchronic pain in 2019, the cumulative incidence of newly reported frequent feelings of depression in 2020 was 9.0% (95% CI, 7.3-10.7%) and 5.5% (95% CI, 4.4-6.5%), respectively. Chronic pain was associated with a higher likelihood of newly reported frequent feelings of depression after adjusting for demographic and health-related characteristics (adjusted risk ratio, 2.32 [95% CI, 1.71-3.15]). A similar association was observed between high-impact chronic pain and increased likelihood of newly reported frequent feelings of depression (adjusted risk ratio, 2.86 [95% CI, 1.96-4.16]).

We found that chronic pain exposure was associated with a higher likelihood of newly reported frequent feelings of depression. These findings suggest that psychological treatment should also be considered in the management of chronic pain.