OBJECTIVE To identify the prevalence of 12-month self-reported pain and chronic pain in a general population and to describe their clinical profile to assess if chronic pain is associated with 12-month mental disorders.METHODS The data used comes from the São Paulo Megacity Mental Health Survey, a population-based study assessing adult (≥ 18 years) residents of the São Paulo metropolitan area, Brazil. We have assessed the respondents (n = 5,037) using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 3.0), with a global response rate of 81.3%. Descriptive analyses have been performed, and crude and adjusted odds ratios (OR) have been calculated with logistic and multinomial regression and presented with respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI).RESULTS The prevalence of pain and chronic pain in the past 12 months were 52.6% (95%CI 50.3–54.8) and 31.0% (95%CI 29.2–32.7), respectively. Joints (16.5%, 95%CI 15.4–17.5) and back or neck (15.5%, 95%CI 14.2–16.9) were the most frequently reported anatomical sites of chronic pain. On a 10-point analogue scale, the mean intensity of the worst pain was 7.7 (95%CI 7.4–7.8), and the mean average pain was 5.5 (95%CI 5.2–5.6); the mean treatment response was 6.3 (95%CI 6.0–6.6). Mean pain duration was 16.1 (95%CI 15.6–17.0) days a month and 132 (95%CI 126–144) minutes a day. Chronic pain was associated with 12-month DSM-IV mental disorders (OR = 2.7, 95%CI 2.3–3.3), anxiety disorders (OR = 2.1, 95%CI 1.9–3.0), and mood disorders (OR = 3.3, 95%CI 2.4–4.1).CONCLUSIONS A high prevalence of chronic pain in multiple sites is observed among the general adult population, and associations between chronic pain and mental disorders are frequent.
Mental disorders are associated with employment status as significant predictors and as consequences of unemployment and early retirement. This study describes the estimates and associations of 12-month DSM-IV prevalence rates of mental disorders and use of health services with employment status by gender in the São Paulo Metropolitan Area, Brazil. Data from the São Paulo Megacity Mental Health Survey was analyzed (n = 5,037). This is a population-based study assessing the prevalence and determinants of mental disorders among adults, using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. The associations were estimated by odds ratios obtained through binomial and multinomial logistic regression. This study demonstrates that having mental disorders, especially mood disorders, is associated with being inactive or unemployed among men and inactive among women, but only having a substance use disorder is associated with being unemployed among women. Among those with mental disorders, seeking health care services is less frequent within unemployed.
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