Study on the relationship between low back pain and emotional state, sleep and quality of life in postmenopausal women

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of low back pain in the postmenopausal period and the relationship between low back pain and emotional state, sleep and quality of life. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 368 postmenopausal women between 40 and 65 years old. The frequency and severity of low back pain were recorded for all participants, as well as depressive symptoms and anxiety, quality of life and sleep quality. RESULTS: 90.2% of the participants reported low back pain. As low back pain severity increased, it was found that depression, anxiety levels, NHP and PSQI total scores increased as well (p = 0.0001). Significant positive correlations were found between pain intensity and outcome measures, except for sleep duration and habitual sleep efficiency (p < 0.01). CONCLUSION: A great majority of women experience postmenopausal low back pain, which causes significant problems that negatively affect their quality of life, emotional state and sleep quality.