Estimating the longitudinal association between pain characteristics and clinical outcomes in young people with mental ill-health
Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background Mental ill-health has a major impact on young people, with pain often co-occurring. We estimated the prevalence and impact of pain in young people with mental ill-health. Methods Longitudinal data (baseline and three-month follow-up) of 1,107 Australian young people (aged 12–25 years) attending one of five youth mental health services. Multi-level linear mixed models estimated associations between pain characteristics (frequency, intensity, and limitations) and outcomes with false discovery rate (FDR) adjustment. Pain characteristics were baseline-centered to estimate if the baseline score (between-participant effect) and/or change from baseline (within-participant effect) was associated with outcomes. Results At baseline, 16% reported serious pain more than 3 days, 51% reported at least moderate pain, and 25% reported pain-related activity limitations in the last week. Between participants, higher serious pain frequency was associated with greater anxiety symptoms (β[95%CI]: 0.90 [0.45, 1.35], FDR-p=0.001), higher pain intensity was associated with greater symptoms of depression (1.50 [0.71, 2.28], FDR-p=0.001), anxiety (1.22 [0.56, 1.89], FDR-p=0.002), and suicidal ideation (3.47 [0.98, 5.96], FDR-p=0.020), and higher pain limitations were associated with greater depressive symptoms (1.13 [0.63, 1.63], FDR-p<0.001). Within participants, increases in pain intensity were associated with increases in tobacco use risk (1.09 [0.48, 1.70], FDR-p=0.002), and increases in pain limitations were associated with increases in depressive symptoms (0.99 [0.54, 1.43], FDR-p<0.001) and decreases in social and occupational functioning (−1.08 [−1.78, −0.38], FDR-p=0.009). Conclusions One-in-two young people seeking support for mental ill-health report pain. Youth mental health services should consider integrating pain management.
Source: Psychological Medicine
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,550
Awards: Transdiagnostic models of classification, intervention and neurobiological research, Optimising Personalised Care, at scale, for Young People with Emerging Mood Disorders, Early intervention for mood disorders, Identifying clinically relevant neurobiological markers of depression and suicidal behaviours, Youth-specific change and outcome measures for effective youth mental health service delivery, A global alliance to unlock brain mechanisms influencing suicidal behaviors through the ENIGMA Consortium, Neurobiologically-Based Subtyping of Multi-Cohort Samples with MDD and PTSD Symptoms, ENIGMA Bipolar Initiative: A Global Study of Imaging Genomics & Clinical Outcomes
OpenAlex ID: W4412763234