Chronic pain and psychological distress among adults in Udupi

Abstract

Background: Depression is an important public health problem and one of the leading causes of disease burden worldwide. Depression is often comorbid with other chronic diseases and can worsen their associated health outcomes. Few studies have explored the effect of depression alone or as comorbidity, with chronic pain. Objective: The objective of this study was to study the prevalence and pattern of sociodemographic characteristics of persons with depression and chronic pain residing in the Udupi taluk, Karnataka, India. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included 360 participants of above 18 years of age. The participants were recruited using simple random sampling technique from January 2017 to June 2017. Descriptive and analytical methods were used to estimate the prevalence and to identify the associated disorders. Results: It was observed during the study that prevalence of psychological distress (PD) was (58.88%). Majority of the females had moderate-to-severe PD (55.66%). The age group of 35–50 years (36.97%) had moderate-to-severe PD. The other psychiatric disorder associated with chronic pain was somatic dysfunction (27.8%), anxiety (26.9%), social dysfunction (33.8%), and depression in (11.5%). Conclusion: Depression produces the greatest decrement in health compared to the chronic physical disease. These results indicate the urgency of addressing depression as a public health priority to reduce disease burden and disability and to improve the overall health of populations.