Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To provide an initial indication of the intensity and quality of pain in young adults reporting depressed mood and to investigate possible underlying mechanisms.DESIGN: Case-control study.SETTING: University undergraduate subject pool.PARTICIPANTS: Sixty introductory psychology undergraduates classified as either reporting high levels of depressed mood (n=30; age 18.7±0.87 years, mean ± SD) or reporting low levels of depressed mood (n=30; age 18.6±0.81 years).MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Beck Depression Inventory, Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, Pain Catastrophizing Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and pressure dolorimeter pain thresholds.RESULTS: Young adults reporting high levels of depressed mood had significantly higher pain intensity at testing time, as measured by a visual analogue scale (P=0.015) and a present pain index (P=0.002), affective pain intensity for the previous month (P=0.000), pain catastrophizing (P=0.025) and global sleep disturbance (P=0.000) than young adults reporting low levels of depressed mood. Within the group of young adults reporting high levels of depressed mood, significantly higher sleep disturbance scores (P=0.020) were identified in those reporting high levels of overall pain intensity.CONCLUSIONS: The results are discussed in terms of their implications for research as well as for the assessment and treatment of pain in individuals with depression.