Association of self-reported arthritis with depression, anxiety, and comorbid depression/anxiety among the older Chinese adults: A cross-sectional study

Background: Arthritis is relatively common among middle-aged and older people and is a significant public health problem. However, research on the relationship between arthritis and mental health in older populations is currently limited. Methods: Data were obtained from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey. The 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale and 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale were used to evaluate depressive and anxiety symptoms. Arthritis status was self-reported. Linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the impact of arthritis on depression, anxiety, and comorbid depression/anxiety symptoms. Results: A total of 11,104 participants aged >= 65 years (mean age, 83.1 +/- 11.1 years) were included in the analysis. We detected positive associations of arthritis with depression symptoms (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 1.57, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.33 to 1.86), anxiety symptoms (adjusted OR: 1.48, 95 % CI: 1.15 to 1.90), and comorbid depression/anxiety symptoms (adjusted OR: 1.88, 95 % CI: 1.41 to 2.5) in the older adult population. Participants with arthritis had higher anxiety (adjusted linear regression coefficient: 0.43, 95 % CI: 0.24 to 0.63) and depression (adjusted linear regression coefficient: 0.87, 95 % CI: 0.57 to 1.14) scores compared with those without arthritis. In addition, there were no significant interaction effects between arthritis and participant characteristics on depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, or comorbid depression/anxiety symptoms. Conclusions: Arthritis was positively associated with depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and comorbid depression/anxiety symptoms among older adults. Further cohort studies are needed to validate these associations.