Depression and anxiety as major determinants of neck pain: a cross-sectional study in general practice

2009

Depression and Anxiety as Causes of Neck Pain

Sample size: 448 publication 10 minutes Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Eva Blozik, Daria Laptinskaya, Christoph Herrmann-Lingen, Helene Schaefer, Michael M Kochen, Wolfgang Himmel, Martin Scherer

Primary Institution: University of Göttingen

How do psychosocial factors like depression and anxiety interact with neck pain in general practice patients?

Higher levels of neck pain are associated with increased psychosocial distress, particularly depression and anxiety.

Depression and anxiety were highly significantly linked with increasing levels of neck pain.
Patients with depressive mood or anxiety were more likely to report higher neck pain levels.
Educational level and social support were associated with neck pain but not after adjusting for depression and anxiety.

If someone has a lot of neck pain, it might be because they are feeling really sad or anxious. Doctors should pay attention to these feelings.

Cross-sectional survey with 448 patients using questionnaires to assess neck pain and psychosocial factors.

Potential selection bias due to exclusion criteria and reliance on self-reported data.

The study's cross-sectional design limits causal inferences, and findings may not be generalizable to all neck pain patients.

44% aged 50 or older, 80% female, one-third with basic education, and 36.7% unemployed or retired.

<0.001

1.74–2.57 for depression, 1.48–2.25 for anxiety

p<0.001

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