Depression, anxiety and pain in juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Background

This study investigated children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in terms of depression, anxiety, behavioral problems, self esteem, analyzed the associations of these psychological features between subtype and pain intensity.

Materials and methods

The sample was 45 children with JIA (oligoarticular JIA; 19, polyarticular JIA; 26), aged 6 to 12 years. Pain was measured by the VAS. Children and parents were administered the Child Behavior Checklist, Kovacs Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Piers-Harris Self Esteem Scala. The psychiatric diagnoses were made according to DSM-IV criteria.

Results

There was no statistically significant difference in between the disease subtype groups and between the pain groups as to the sociodemographic features. The frequency of depression and anxiety diagnosis which were made according to the DSM-IV criteria was %31 and %17.7 in 45 JIA patients. For the 45 patients the average CDI score was 7.60 and the average Trait Anxiety Inventory score was 34.31. For the 42 patients which were aloocated into pain groups, the average CDI score was 7.67 and the average Trait Anxiety Inventory score was 34.10. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups as to the depression and anxiety scale scores. Pain was not correlated with depression and anxiety scores.

Conclusion

Clinical diagnosis of depression or anxiety is identified at high rates in children with JIA but depression and anxiety scale scores were identified as close to the average normal scores and are not found associated with pain intensity. Subtype is also not found associated with these scale scores in JIA.