THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, AND PAIN IN A GERIATRIC INSTITUTIONALIZED SAMPLE

This study sought to determine if depression and/or anxiety is uniquel y related to pain after controlling for the strong association between anxiety and depression. Both depression and anxiety were assessed in an elderly institutionalized sample using: (1) research-based diagnose s based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-revised 3rd edition (DSM- IIIR) criteria, and (2) evaluations of one's recent affective states u sing the Profile of Moods States (POMS). Pain was assessed by pain int ensity and number of pain complaints. A series of path models indicate d that: (1) both research-based anxiety and depression share unique va riance with pain, and (2) only POMS anxiety is uniquely related to pai n. A path model using both measures of anxiety and depression indicate d that only the anxiety measures are significantly related to pain. Ho wever, POMS anxiety sustained a significantly greater relationship wit h pain than did research-based anxiety.