Prevalence and factors associated with the presence of depression among older adults who report pain: findings from the Medical Health Outcomes Survey

This study examined whether older adults reporting pain have higher odds of self‑reported depression, and whether these odds differ by sex. Using data from 75,015 Medicare managed‑care enrollees over two years, we found that both men and women with persistent pain had significantly increased odds of depression after adjusting for demographic and health factors. Men showed a larger relative increase in depression risk (OR 1.93) than women (OR 1.59). These findings suggest that pain is a strong indicator of depression risk in older adults and highlight the importance of targeted depression screening when pain is reported.