Synergistic effects of pain and alcohol use in relation to depressive and anxiety symptoms among Latinos in primary care

• Published in: Cognitive behaviour therapy 2017-11, Vol.46 (6), p.478-492
• Main Authors: Paulus, Daniel J., Viana, Andres G., Ditre, Joseph W., Bakhshaie, Jafar, Garza, Monica, Berger Cardoso, Jodi, Valdivieso, Jeanette, Ochoa-Perez, Melissa, Lemaire, Chad, Zvolensky, Michael J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; alcohol; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Alcohol use; Ambulatory Care Facilities; Anxiety; Anxiety - complications; Anxiety - psychology; Cognitive therapy; comorbidity; Depression - complications; Depression - psychology; Female; health disparity; Hispanic Americans - psychology; Humans; Male; Mental depression; Middle Aged; Pain; Pain - complications; Pain - psychology; Primary care; Primary Health Care; transdiagnostic
• ISSN: 1650-6073; 1651-2316
• DOI: 10.1080/16506073.2017.1336185

Although past work has shown that alcohol use co-occurs with anxiety/depression among Latinos, little work has examined the variables that qualify such associations. The present investigation sought to address whether pain severity (i.e. pain intensity and/or pain-related disability, respectively) moderated relations between hazardous drinking and depressive/anxious arousal symptoms among an economically disadvantaged Latino sample recruited from a primary care medical setting. Participants included 253 adult Latinos (M age  = 38.5 years, SD = 10.8; 86.6% female) who attended a community-based primary care clinic. There was a significant interaction of hazardous drinking with pain intensity in relation to depressive symptoms and significant interactions of hazardous drinking and pain-related disability in relation to depressive and anxious arousal symptoms. Hazardous drinking was associated with more severe depressive/anxious arousal symptoms only when pain intensity/disability was high. This is the first study to demonstrate the moderating role of pain intensity and disability in associations between hazardous drinking and anxiety/depression among Latinos in a primary care medical setting.