Abstract
Objective
To verify the effect of chronic pain on stress and depressive symptoms in elderly caregivers over four years.
Method
This is a longitudinal study, with data collection in 2014 and 2018, with 104 individuals aged 60 years and older who provided care to another older adult living in the same household and residing in the urban areas of the city of São Carlos-SP, registered in Family Health Units (FHU). For statistical analyses, the linear regression model with mixed effects (random and fixed effects) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used. All models were adjusted for sex, age, education, number of medications and number of diseases.
Results
Participants with chronic pain had an average of 5.21 points higher in the stress score (p=0.019; CI: -9.823 – -0.604) in the second assessment (2018) and an increase of 1.3 in the depressive symptoms score in the first assessment (2014), in addition to 1.8 in the second assessment (2018) (=0.020; CI: -2.530 - - 0.225 and p=0.003; CI: -3.016 - -0.640, respectively). Pain intensity was associated with stress (p=0.019; CI= 0.179- 1.958) and depressive symptoms in the first and second assessments (p=0.001; CI: 0.218- 0.772; p=0.013; CI: 0.066- 0.538). Through ANCOVA analysis, it was found that the greater the difference in pain intensity, the greater the difference in depressive symptoms over time.
Conclusion
It is necessary to take effective action to manage chronic pain in elderly caregivers to minimize problems related to stress and depressive symptoms.
Stress, physiological; Depression; Chronic pain; Caregivers; Aged