For the first time, the Scottish Health Survey collected data for both adults and children on the prevalence and impact on the lives of individuals living with chronic pain. The survey found that in 2022:
Over a third (38%) of adults were in pain or discomfort that lasted three months or more.
A higher proportion of women (43%) reported being in chronic pain than men (33%).
6% of all children had experienced chronic pain for three months or more.
Almost four-fifths of adults living with chronic pain reported that it limited their life/work in some measure.
Adults who experienced pain or discomfort for 3 months or more had a lower Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) score of 44.1 compared to those who were not experiencing any pain, their score was 49.
Mental wellbeing in Scotland declines across all groups
Average levels of mental wellbeing continued to decrease in 2022, reaching a historic low since measurement of this began on the survey in 2008. In 2022, the average score on the Warwick-Edinburgh
Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS) for adults was 47, having been 48.6 in 2021 and within the range of 49.4 – 50 between 2008-2019.
The proportion of adults feeling lonely most or all of the time increased from 8% in 2021 to 11% in 2022. Older adults were less likely to report feeling lonely than younger adults.
27% of adults had a GHQ-12 score of 4 or more (indicative of a possible psychiatric disorder), an increase from 22% in 2021 and the highest proportion captured by the survey since the time series began in 2003. Between 2003 and 2019, the proportion of adults with a GHQ-12² score of 4 or more was between 14% – 19%
There has been a sustained increase in the proportion of adults reporting two or more symptoms of depression, rising every year from 8% in 2010/11 to 13% in 2021/22.
In 2021/22, 10% of adults reported that they had ever self-harmed. This proportion had increased from 2% in 2010/11 to 7% in 2018/19.
Age was a significant factor in whether someone had ever attempted suicide, the highest prevalence of 10-11% for those aged 16-34 and 55-64.
Vaping is on the rise whilst cigarette smoking declines
Current Nicotine Vapour Product (NVP) use increased to 10% among all adults, a jump from having remained in the range 5 – 7% between 2014 to 2021.
NVP usage was most prevalent among those aged 16-24. 15% of adults aged 16-24 reported that they currently used NVPs compared with 12% for adults aged 45-54. Usage was lowest among those aged 75 and older: just 1% reported that they currently use NVPs.
15% of adults reported themselves to be current smokers in 2022. This figure is in line with the general downward trend seen over previous years (17% in 2019).
Almost two thirds (63%) of adults reported never having smoked or previously having smoked only occasionally, an overall increase from 50% in 2003.
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