Association Between Neck Pain and Depression, Anxiety And Stress Among IIUM Kuantan Students

Abstract

Introduction: Neck pain is a common disorder across the world due to degenerative changes
in facet joints and the collapse of intervertebral discs. The incidence of neck discomfort is
significantly higher in people who are older. Psychological distress is psychological distress
refers to generic stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms. High levels of psychological
distress indicate poor mental health and may be indicative of prevalent mental disorders. The
main objective of this study was to evaluate the association between neck pain and
psychological distress among International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) Kuantan
students. Method: 83 subjects were selected through convenience sampling method
following the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Neck Disability Index (NDI) and the
Depression Anxiety Stress Scales 21 (DASS-21) were used to determine the level of neck
pain, depression, anxiety and stress respectively. Descriptive statistics and Chi-square test of
independence were applied to analyze the data. Result: 68.6% of the students suffered from
mild to moderate disability of the neck. More than half of the students suffered from
depression, anxiety and stress with the percentage of 59.1%, 79.0% and 43.5% respectively.
The result showed there was a significant association between neck pain and depression
(p=0.006), anxiety (p=0.023) and stress (p=0.023). Conclusion: Therefore, IIUM students
demonstrated mild to moderate neck pain, high level of depression, anxiety, and stress with
significant association between them. It is hoped that this study brings the awareness of
maintaining good physical and mental health among students and how it correlates with each
other.