Prevalence and correlates of depression and anxiety in patients with functional anorectal pain

Abstract

Introduction: Patients with functional anorectal pain (FAP) often have psychological distress, impaired quality of life, increased health care utilization, and even suicidal tendencies. However, there are limited data on the psychological correlates in Chinese patients with FAP. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of depression and anxiety and the related psychosocial factors among Chinese patients with FAP.Methods: We used a cross-sectional research design to recruit 100 patients with FAP in SuBei Hospital’s multidisciplinary clinic for pelvic floor disorders between January and December 2021. Information on demographic and disease characteristics was collected. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Patient Health Questionnaire Depression (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire (GAD-7). Multiple logistic regression analysis examined factors associated with depression and anxiety.Results: The prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms among patients with FAP were 55 % and 46 %, respectively. Being a woman, specific marital status(single, divorced, separated,etc), longer duration of FAP, and sleep disturbance were significantly associated with an increased risk of depressive symptoms. Additionally, specific marital status(single, divorced, separated, etc), sleep disturbance, high Visual Analogue Scale score are associated with anxiety symptoms.Conclusions: Depressive and anxiety symptoms are prevalent in patients with FAP. Several sociodemographic and clinical predictors are identified. There is a need for psychologists to be involved in the treatment of patients with FAP. Multidisciplinary treatment may be the best strategy.