Psychosocial Variables Associated with Back Pain in the Elderly: A Retrospective Analysis

Background and Purpose: Numerous studies have reported the association of psychosocial factors with experience of back pain in younger populations. Similar investigations of the elderly are limited, especially with respect to the elderly that continue employment. The purposes of this study were to determine if established psychosocial risk factors were associated with report of back pain in: (1) a sample of elderly survey participants and (2) a subset of these participants who were working. Methods: This was a retrospective study using cross-sectional data from the 1998 Health and Retirement Study (HRS). Two logistic regression analyses investigated the association of back pain with established psychosocial variables. Results: We found that few psychosocial variables were associated with experience and report of back pain in the elderly. Significant variables were “perception of poor health” (odds ratio = 1.99), “pain or pain perception” (odds ratio = 2.39), “psychological problems” (odds ratio = 1.74), and “female gender” (odds ratio = 1.25). Only 1 psychosocial variable, “perception of poor health” (odds ratio = 2.02), was associated with experience or report of low back pain in the employed elderly. Conclusion: These findings suggest that for a sample of elderly individuals, back pain was influenced by selected psychosocial factors and that employment may alter the influence of these factors.