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
. 2024 Aug 12;14(8):855.
doi: 10.3390/jpm14080855.

Relationship between Depression and Physical Activity Frequency in Spanish People with Low, Medium, and High Pain Levels

Ángel Denche-Zamorano  1   2 , Diana Salas-Gómez  3 , Jose A Parraca  2   4 , Pablo Tomas-Carus  2   4 , José Carmelo Adsuar  1   5 , Sabina Barrios-Fernandez  6
Affiliations

Relationship between Depression and Physical Activity Frequency in Spanish People with Low, Medium, and High Pain Levels

Ángel Denche-Zamorano et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

Depression is a mental disorder that causes great discomfort, is associated with unhealthy lifestyle habits, and affects the quality of life. People with pain show high depressive symptoms and a prevalence of physical inactivity. This study aimed to analyse the associations between depression (self-reported depression, depression status, depressive symptoms, and depression types) and physical activity frequency (PAF) in leisure time in middle-aged and older people with different pain levels (low, medium, and severe) living in Spain. A cross-sectional study based on the European Health Survey data from Spain (2014-2020) was carried out, with a final sample of 13,686 people with pain. Associations between depression-related variables and PAF were studied at the three levels of pain, comparing the prevalence of depression as a function of PAF. Regression models were performed to assess adjusted risk factors for depression (self-reported depression and depression status). It was found that PAF was related to depression at all three pain levels. Inactive people at each pain level had higher depression prevalence (self-reported depression, depression status, depression symptoms, and depressive types). Physical inactivity emerged as a risk factor for depression, both for self-reported depression and for depression status. Thus, increased PAF could help prevent or reduce depression and depressive symptoms in people with pain.

Keywords: depression; exercise; mental health; psychological distress; quality of life.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart including the sample eligibility criteria.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Prevalence of self-reported depression, PHQ-8 depression status, depression symptoms, and depression types according to physical activity frequency in people with low pain.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Prevalence of self-reported depression, PHQ-8 depression status, depression symptoms, and depression types according to physical activity frequency in people with medium pain.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Prevalence of self-reported depression, PHQ-8 depression status, depression symptoms, and depression types according to physical activity frequency in people with high pain.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Regression analysis for S-RD: forest plot. CI (Confidence Interval); *** (p-value < 0.001).
Figure 6
Figure 6
Regression analysis for PHQ-8 DS: forest plot. CI (Confidence Interval); *** (p-value < 0.001).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Machado M.O., Veronese N., Sanches M., Stubbs B., Koyanagi A., Thompson T., Tzoulaki I., Solmi M., Vancampfort D., Schuch F.B., et al. The Association of Depression and All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality: An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. BMC Med. 2018;16:112. doi: 10.1186/s12916-018-1101-z. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. König H., König H.-H., Konnopka A. The Excess Costs of Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Epidemiol. Psychiatr. Sci. 2020;29:e30. doi: 10.1017/S2045796019000180. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Greenberg P., Chitnis A., Louie D., Suthoff E., Chen S.-Y., Maitland J., Gagnon-Sanschagrin P., Fournier A.-A., Kessler R.C. The Economic Burden of Adults with Major Depressive Disorder in the United States (2019) Adv. Ther. 2023;40:4460–4479. doi: 10.1007/s12325-023-02622-x. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wang J., Wu X., Lai W., Long E., Zhang X., Li W., Zhu Y., Chen C., Zhong X., Liu Z., et al. Prevalence of Depression and Depressive Symptoms among Outpatients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. BMJ Open. 2017;7:e017173. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-017173. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. World Health Organization Depressive Disorder (Depression) Key Facts 2023. [(accessed on 1 July 2024)]. Available online: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression.

LinkOut - more resources