Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2017 May 11:9:101-110.
doi: 10.2147/OARRR.S129358. eCollection 2017.

Psychological well-being among US adults with arthritis and the unmet need for mental health care

Laura E Straub  1   2 , Miriam G Cisternas  3
Affiliations

Psychological well-being among US adults with arthritis and the unmet need for mental health care

Laura E Straub et al. Open Access Rheumatol. .

Abstract

Purpose: Mental health conditions can increase the risk of disability among adults with arthritis. The objective of this analysis was to compare the prevalence of serious psychological distress (SPD), depression, and anxiety among US adults with arthritis vs. those without; characterize adults with arthritis with and without SPD; and determine correlates of seeing a mental health professional during the year for adults with arthritis and SPD.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional analysis of adults in the 2011-2013 National Health Interview Survey.

Results: Higher proportions of adults with arthritis had SPD (6.8% vs. 2.4%), depression (19.4% vs. 7.3%), and anxiety (29.3% vs. 16.3%) compared to those without. Of the estimated 3.5 million adults with arthritis and SPD, only 39% saw a mental health professional during the year. Adjusted analyses identified the following statistically significant relationships: those who were older (45-64 and ≥65 [vs.18-44], prevalence ratio [PR]=0.8 and 0.4, respectively), less educated (PR=0.5 and 0.7 for high school or less vs. college degree, respectively), and without health insurance coverage (vs. any private, PR=0.7), were less likely to see a mental health professional, whereas the disabled or unemployed (vs. employed, PR=1.6 and 1.5, respectively), and those unable to afford mental health care throughout the year (PR=1.3) were more likely.

Conclusion: The high prevalence of SPD, anxiety, and depression in adults with arthritis suggests the need for increased mental health screening, with subsequent referral to mental health professionals or other treatment programs, in that population.

Keywords: access to mental health care; anxiety; depression; rheumatoid arthritis; serious psychological distress.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Cisternas’ work on this project was supported by contracts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (contract number 200–2013-M-56817). Straub reports no conflicts of interest in this work.

References

    1. Shih M, Hootman JM, Strine TW, Chapman DP, Brady TJ. Serious psychological distress in U.S. adults with arthritis. J Gen Intern Med. 2006;21(11):1160–1166. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Isik A, Koca SS, Ozturk A, Mermi O. Anxiety and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Clin Rheumatol. 2007;26(6):872–878. - PubMed
    1. Stang PE, Brandenburg NA, Lane MC, Merikangas KR, Von Korff MR, Kessler RC. Mental and physical comorbid conditions and days in role among persons with arthritis. Psychosom Med. 2006;68(1):152–158. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Hawker GA, Gignac MA, Badley E, et al. A longitudinal study to explain the pain-depression link in older adults with osteoarthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken) 2011;63(10):1382–1390. - PubMed
    1. Bacconnier L, Rincheval N, Flipo RM, et al. Psychological distress over time in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from a longitudinal study in an early arthritis cohort. Rheumatology. 2015;54(3):520–527. - PubMed