Pain interference and depressive symptom severity across 10 years in individuals with long-term spinal cord injury.

OBJECTIVE: To examine change in pain interference and depression over a 10-year time period in individuals with long-term traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) and to identify the extent to which changes in pain interference over time predicts change in depressive symptoms.

DESIGN: Longitudinal analyses of self-report assessment data.

SETTING: Specialty and university hospitals in the Southeastern and Midwestern United States.

PARTICIPANTS: Adults with a history of traumatic SCI ( n  = 504) who responded to the three most recent data collection periods of the SCI Longitudinal Aging Study (2008 [Time 1], 2013 [Time 2], and 2018 [Time 3]). The participants averaged 59 years of age and 32 years since injury onset at Time 3.

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) assessed depressive symptom severity. The 7-item Pain Interference scale from the Brief Pain Inventory assessed pain interference.

RESULTS: Over the three study timepoints, the sample averaged moderate levels of pain interference and mild depressive symptom severity. Unconditional linear growth models, reflecting changes in central tendency, indicated that pain interference significantly decreased and depressive symptom severity significantly increased over time. Multiple independent variables random coefficient modeling based on correlations suggested that change in pain interference was positively associated with change in depressive symptom severity over the 10-year study follow-up.

CONCLUSION: Average depressive symptom severity worsened over time. Change in pain interference was positively associated with change in depressive symptom severity. These results point to the complexity of aging related changes in depressive symptoms and pain interference. They further support the need for continued assessment of mood and pain experiences, particularly among individuals reaching aging milestones with SCI.