BACKGROUND: Maintaining older adults' ability to function independently in the community is a critically important public health concern. One of the most common symptoms threatening that ability is pain. Depression is a common co-occurring symptom in older adults with pain. In the present study, we determined the moderating effect of depression on the association between pain and functional limitations. METHODS: Data were from the Healthy Aging Longitudinal Study in Taiwan, a population-based study of community-dwelling older adults in Taiwan (N = 2680). All data were collected by face-to-face interviews. Sociodemographic and health-related factors along with the location and severity of pain were collected. Functional limitation was assessed using the Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living, whereas depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. RESULTS: Pain presence was not significantly associated with functional limitation, but overall pain severity and number of pain sites were. Depressive older adults exhibited a stronger association of pain and functional limitation. CONCLUSION: Depression moderates the relation between pain and functional limitation. This knowledge may be valuable in developing effective public health and clinical management strategies to reduce functional limitation in older adults.
