Relationship Between Mastalgia And Anxiety-Depression: An Observational Study

Background: Mastalgia is one of the most common breast disorders and may adversely affect a person's daily activities and health-related quality of life, along with possible psychological discomfort. In our study, we investigated whether there is a relationship between mastalgia and anxiety and depression. Methods: In this prospective study, patients with mastalgia comprised the mastalgia group (n=130) and those without any complaints were included as the control group (n=128). Sociodemographic characteristics such as age, marital status, and educational level were recorded. Both groups were evaluated using the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results: The mean age of the participants was 34.45 ± 6.06 years for the mastalgia group and 35.15 ± 6.39 years for the control group. There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of age (p = 0.371), marital status (p = 0.336), job status (p = 0.320) or educational level (p = 0.285). However, the anxiety scale and depression scale scores were significantly higher in the mastalgia group compared to the control group (p < 0.001). In addition, the evaluation showed that the BAI and BDI scores were significantly high in the cyclic mastalgia group (p < 0.001). The correlation analyses of the patient group revealed that there was a positive correlation between duration of disease and BAI and BDI scores [(r=0.453, p<0.001); (r=0.228, p=0.009), respectively]. Similarly, there was a positive correlation between educational level and BAI and BDI scores [(r=0.579, p<0.001); (r=0.523, p<0.001), respectively]. Conclusion: In our study, anxiety and depression were found to be more common in mastalgia patients than healthy controls for various reasons. Thus, physicians should look for any signs of psychological discomfort in patients presenting with mastalgia and, if necessary, consult a psychiatrist.