The Prevalence of Pain among Residents of Nursing Homes and the Impact of Pain on Their Mood and Quality of Life

Background: Chronic persistent pain is a common problem in the elderly. However, there are no systematic studies on the prevalence of pain among these old people in Iran. The objectives of the present study were to determine the prevalence of pain among nursing home residents and to assess the impact of persisting pain on mood and quality of life among this population. Methods: One hundred and fourteen residents of 2 private nursing homes in Tehran completed the Beck Depression Inventory as well as the 36-item Short Form health survey, to report their mood and quality of life, respectively. All subjects also gave their demographic details and pain status. Results: The mean ± SD age of the persons studied was 69 ± 8.5 years. While 72.8% of the total sample reported some kind of pain at the time of the study, 66.7% reported persistent pain (i.e., the existence of pain every day or almost every day). Subjects with persistent pain (n = 76) were more depressed than those not reporting persistent pain (n = 38). Also, persistent pain negatively influenced the quality of life. Conclusion: Pain is prevalent in residents of long-term care facilities in Iran. Suffering from persistent pain is significantly associated with higher levels of depression and lower quality of life.