Smartest Doc
Anxiety is more common than depression among US adults with arthritis
Arthritis Care & Research ,
Murphy LB et al. – Despite the clinical focus on depression among people with arthritis, anxiety was almost twice as common as depression. Given their high prevalence, profound impact on quality of life, and range of effective treatments available, the authors encourage health care providers to screen all people with arthritis for both anxiety and depression.
Methods- The study sample comprised US adults aged ≥ 45 years with doctor–diagnosed arthritis (n=1,793) from Arthritis Condition and Health Effects Survey (a cross–sectional, population based, random digit dialed telephone interview survey).
- Anxiety and depression were measured using separate and validated subscales of the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales.
- Prevalence was estimated for the sample overall and stratified by subgroups.
- Associations between correlates and each condition were estimated with prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals using logistic regression models.
- Anxiety was more common than depression (31% and 18% respectively); overall, a third of respondents reported at least one of the two conditions.
- Most (84%) of those with depression also had anxiety. Multivariable logistic regression modeling failed to identify a distinct profile of characteristics of those with anxiety or/and depression.
- Only half of respondents with anxiety and/or depression had sought help for their mental health condition in the past year.
