title: Associations between aspects of pain and cognitive performance and the contribution of depressive symptoms in mid-life women: a cross-sectional analysis.
abstract: Pain has been associated with cognitive problems in pain patients. This study evaluated the extent to which experiences of pain are associated with cognitive performance in a community sample of mid-life women, and the contribution of depressive symptoms to this association. A cross-sectional analysis was used with data from the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN). Associations between aspects of pain and cognitive performance were evaluated using statistical models with and without depressive symptoms. The cognitive performance score was a composite of three cognitive tests, the Digit Span Backward Test, the Symbol Digit Modalities Test and the East Boston Memory Test. Greater pain experiences that interfered with daily work were independently associated with poorer cognitive performance, [β (SE) -0.074 (0.021); p value<0.01] and this association was partially explained by depressive symptoms [β (SE) -0.061 (0.022); p value<0.01 after adjusting for depressive symptoms]. Additionally, an independent association between a greater composite pain score and poorer cognitive performance was identified without adjusting for depressive symptoms, [β (SE) -0.002 (0.0009); p value<0.05] but was no longer significant after adjusting for depressive symptoms. Our results suggest that in mid-life women, greater pain is associated with poorer cognitive performance, and depressive symptoms play an important role in this association. Clinicians should be aware of these relationships when evaluating patients.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Room 2667, SPH Tower, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, United States. Electronic address: ktea@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Kristin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Tomey
authors.affiliation: Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 10833 Le Conte Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90095, United States. Electronic address: GGreenda@mednet.ucla.edu.
authors.forename: Gail A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Greendale
authors.affiliation: Rush University Medical Center , 1653W Congress Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60612, United States. Electronic address: Howard_Kravitz@rush.edu.
authors.forename: Howard M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Kravitz
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, 4200 Fifth Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15260, United States. Electronic address: brombergerjt@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Joyce T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Bromberger
authors.affiliation: Rush University Medical Center , 1653W Congress Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60612, United States. Electronic address: John_Burns@rush.edu.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Burns
authors.affiliation: Rush University Medical Center , 1653W Congress Pkwy, Chicago, IL 60612, United States. Electronic address: Sheila_Dugan@rush.edu.
authors.forename: Sheila A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Dugan
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, School of Public Health, 1415 Washington Heights, Room 2667, SPH Tower, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2029, United States. Electronic address: cmendes@umich.edu.
authors.forename: Carlos F Mendes
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: de Leon
mesh_terms: D059350:Chronic Pain; D003071:Cognition; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health
keywords: Cognitive function; Depressive symptoms; Pain