Associations of pain and depression with marital status in patients diagnosed with Parkinson's disease

BackgroundDepression and pain are significant clinical problems that are comorbid with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, the relationship of these variables with the marital status of patients with PD has not been explored in previous studies. Therefore, the goal of this study was to assess the possible relationship between depression prevalence, depression severity, and pain interference with the marital status of the sufferers of PD. MethodsThis study included 40 patients and 40 healthy control participants who were assessed for depression prevalence and severity using The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). The same individuals were also assessed for pain interference using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). ResultsWhen compared to the control groups, the PD (Single) group was found to have the highest prevalence of depression, followed by the PD (Married) group whereas the Control (Single) group was found to have a higher prevalence than the Control (Married) group (P<0.0001). A main effect was found on depression severity (P<0.0001), but no significant differences were observed between the PD groups. Lastly, PD (Single) patients had significantly greater pain interference scores than the PD (Married) patients (P<0.05) with no other significant case-control or control-control group differences. ConclusionPatient-spouse relationship, which indicates physical and emotional support may have a mitigating effect on patient outcomes of depression prevalence and pain interference.