Anxiety, Depression, Chronic Pain, and Quality of Life Among Older Adults in Rural China: An Observational, Cross-Sectional, Multi-Center Study

Purpose: To determine the incidence of anxiety and depression and examine their cross-sectional associations with chronic pain and quality of life among older adultsin rural China. Design: Observational, multi-center, cross-sectional study. Methods: A structured, self-report questionnaire was administered. Descriptive statistics analysis and stepwise multiple linear regression analysis were performed. Findings: 244 participants (female:47.1%) filled out the questionnaires. 87 (35.7%) had symptoms of anxiety and 123 (50.4%) had symptoms of depression. The sensory pain descriptor, affective pain descriptor, physical component summary, and mental component summary significantly influenced symptoms of anxiety while affective pain descriptor, physical component summary, and mental component summary significantly influenced symptoms of depression. Conclusion: Subjective pain experiences and QoL, including physical and mental domains, arestrongly related tosymptoms of anxiety and depression among older adults in rural China.

Automated summary

This study examined the incidence of anxiety and depression among older adults in rural China, and found that chronic pain and quality of life are strongly associated with symptoms of anxiety and depression.