• Zeping Yan, Lixia Chang, Qin Zhang, Chenglin Li, and Yuli Li.
• School of Nursing and Rehabilitation, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, Shandong Province, China.
• Pain Manag Nurs. 2022 Oct 1; 23 (5): 602-607.

BackgroundChronic pain patients tend to have comorbid depressive symptoms, and empirical data investigating differences related to depressive symptoms classes and opioid misuse are scant.AimsThe aim of this study was to identify heterogeneous depressive symptoms trajectories in elderly individuals with chronic pain who take opioids, and investigate the association between depressive symptoms subgroups and opioid misuse.DesignSecondary data analysis of a cross-sectional study.SettingsTwelve communities were selected from a city in Shandong Province, China, using multi-stage cluster sampling.Participants/SubjectsIndividuals aged ≥60 years with self-reported chronic pain lasting more than one year and who took opioids under prescription were screened.MethodsLatent class analysis was used to identify homogeneous depressive symptoms groups within the elderly population with chronic pain. Multinomial logistic regression, and one-way analysis of variance were also performed.ResultsThe best-fitted model suggested three depressive symptoms subgroups: "Impaired Memory," "Perceived Stress in Life and Work," and "Low Mood." Age, education level, and marital status were depression risk factors. The odds of opioid misuse varied among the depressive symptoms subgroups.ConclusionsThese findings may help improve depressive symptoms and chronic pain management by identifying high-risk elderly individuals for early intervention and personalizing treatment according to the depressive symptoms subgroup and severity of opioid misuse.Copyright © 2022 American Society for Pain Management Nursing. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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