Are adolescents with frequent pain symptoms more depressed?
OBJECTIVE
To study predicting value of pain symptoms in detecting depression among adolescents.


METHODS
A population-based classroom survey of 14-16-year-old adolescents.


METHODS
Secondary schools in two regions of Finland (Vaasa and Pirkanmaa).


METHODS
Every secondary school in these two regions was asked to participate in the study. The final sample comprised 17,643 adolescents in 8th and 9th grades (mean age 15.3 years).


METHODS
The subjects were asked to rate the frequency of headache, stomach-ache, low back pain and neck or shoulder pain. Depression was measured using the Finnish modification of the short Beck Depression Inventory (R-BDI). Trait anxiety was questioned in an item formulated analogously to R-BDI questions.


RESULTS
Prevalence of depression was higher among adolescents with recurrent pain symptoms. Each of the four measured pain symptoms predicted depression independently and accumulation of different pain symptoms increased the odd ratios for depression. Anxiety did not change the association between pain symptoms and depression.


CONCLUSIONS
Recurrent pain symptoms are associated with depression among adolescents. Clinicians working with adolescents should be aware of this association and interview adolescents with recurrent pains for possible underlying depression.
Tampere School of Public Health, University of Tampere and Tampere University Hospital, Finland. ann-mari.harma@uta.fi
Ann-Mari
AM
Härmä
Riittakerttu
R
Kaltiala-Heino
Matti
M
Rimpelä
Päivi
P
Rantanen
D000293:Adolescent; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010146:Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D015995:Prevalence; D000297:Psychology, Adolescent; D012574:Schools; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology*