Association of mental distress with chronic diseases in 1.9 million individuals: A population-based cross-sectional study

Mental distress has a high global prevalence and is associated with poor health outcomes. This study aimed to estimate the relationship between mental distress and the risk of 10 chronic diseases using data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Cross-sectional data from the 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 BRFSS were analyzed. The association between mental distress based on the number of days of poor mental health and the risk of 10 chronic diseases, namely obesity, diabetes, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), arthritis, kidney disease, coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke, skin cancer, and other cancers, were assessed by logistic regression models to calculate odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Subgroup analyses stratified by age and sex were also conducted. Positive associations between mental distress and chronic diseases were observed. We also found a dose-response gradient between mental distress levels and the risk of all chronic diseases except skin cancer. In respondents aged 18–44 years reporting ≥23 days/month of mental distress, there has the largest odds ratio between mental distress levels and each chronic disease. Moreover, mental distress was associated with higher risks of obesity and arthritis in women relative to men. Mental distress was positively associated with chronic diseases. Age and sex are crucial in this relationship. Further studies with longitudinal data are needed to clarify the direction of this association.